Rutgers is looking at Ohio State's Chris Ash (FOX Sports)

[S.B. Crumb]

http://www.foxsports.com/college-fo...ckeyes-defensive-coordinator-chris-ash-120215

Ohio State DC Chris Ash is being looking at as a good option by Rutgers to be the Scarlet Knights next head coach, a source told FOX Sports.

The 41-year-old Ash is also in the running for the Syracuse head coach vacancy, a source said. Ash has done a terrific job improving the Buckeyes' D and their secondary in particular the past two seasons since coming over from Arkansas. Having also worked under Urban Meyer is another plus as his coaching tree has produced a very high percentage of strong head coaches. Among them: Kyle Whittingham, Dan Mullen, and the latest protege is Houston's Tom Herman.

Ash’s knowledge of the Big Ten would also be a plus in the eyes of Rutgers’ brass. Ash is also a former Wisconsin defensive coordinator.

 

[RU206]

Not a fan.

 

[ru8081]

Nice!

Question: who was the higher rated coordinator prior to their current jobs. Narduzzi or Diaco?

 

[S.B. Crumb]

Scoring D for Ash as DC:

13 Wisconsin
16 Wisconsin
89 Arkansas
26 Ohio State
2 Ohio State

Other than the blip in Arkansas, extremely impressive. Extra points for doing it in the B1G.

 

[derleider]

Nice!

Question: who was the higher rated coordinator prior to their current jobs. Narduzzi or Diaco?

Narduzzi had done it for longer. He ended up getting a mid-level P5 job instead of a low G5 job. So I think that answers the question.

 

[RU31trap]

Not a fan at all. Their secondary has gotten picked apart when playing tougher competition. What a mess this could turn into in a big hurry.

Dear Rutgers,
Be careful of who knocks on your door with head coaching suggestions. This is why Hobbs was not the best choice for AD. We would have been better served with someone who (sort of) understands the X's and O's before picking our HC.

 

[carolina scarlet]

Not a fan.

An Iowa native? And not a household name. How does this help recruiting New Jersey? If Rutgers does not get a Northeasterner than we need the longball.

 

[Plum Street]

Don't like it . Get Mullen or chip . Or schiano or golden .
Listen to plum

 

[jlariv9]

Not a fan at all. Their secondary has gotten picked apart when playing tougher competition. What a mess this could turn into in s big hurry.

Dear Rutgers,
Be careful of who knocks on your door with head coaching suggestions. This is why Hobbs was not the best choice for AD. We would have been better served with someone who (sort of) understands the X's and O's before picking our HC.

How about let's not jump to conclusions just yet. Ash is being targeted as a candidate - doesn't mean Hobbs has hired him.

 

[cicero grimes]

An Iowa native? And not a household name. How does this help recruiting New Jersey? If Rutgers does not get a Northeasterner than we need the longball.

Exactly this. Thank you.

 

[NBKnight]

Nice!

Question: who was the higher rated coordinator prior to their current jobs. Narduzzi or Diaco?

One could be the lower rated coordinator and be the better HC prospect.

 

[srru86]

This could simply mean a rep from our search firm called Ash's agent and asked, "Is your guy interested if RU is?" Ash's agent then calls his contact at Fox and says "My guy is a contender for the RU job". It could also mean they'll hire him by the end of the week. We just don't know.

 

[S.B. Crumb]

Stop with the crying over recruiting. We will not recruit with most of the other B1G East teams until we win some first or we get a guy like Richt. Just stop.

Regardless of whether he is the recruiter of the century, regardless if he is the king of f-ing NJ, whatever. At best we would grab borderline top 25 classes. At best.

We need a coach, first and foremost.

 

[sodakboy93]

One of the better DC's in the country. I'd prefer him over some of the names on the list.

 

[NBKnight]

An Iowa native? And not a household name. How does this help recruiting New Jersey? If Rutgers does not get a Northeasterner than we need the longball.

Is he a good recruiter? That is the more important question.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

I just don't get it. The notion of going defensive just seems to be a poor decision. Football is becoming more and more driven by offense and scoring, and as concussion issues are addressed, its only going to be more important.

Also, I thought Fickell was the DC at OSU. I guess they are co-coordinators?

 

[NBKnight]

Not a fan at all. Their secondary has gotten picked apart when playing tougher competition. What a mess this could turn into in a big hurry.

Dear Rutgers,
Be careful of who knocks on your door with head coaching suggestions. This is why Hobbs was not the best choice for AD. We would have been better served with someone who (sort of) understands the X's and O's before picking our HC.

Someone like TP?

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

I don't like it and if we're going to go defense Aranda is a better choice to me. Going with a defensive guy is ok by me provided he runs some sort of spread. He worked with Bielema and Meyer so it's possible he could just like Aranda who has worked with both kinds of offenses as well.

On some level, a defensive coach is good provided he's' a very good one. Those guys are harder to come by while spread coaches are a little bit more ubiquitous these days.

 

[Mr_Twister]

Recruiting NJ and the northeast is severely overrated as a credential. Too many higher profile programs eating our recruiting lunch in NJ who we will not overtake without a decade of winning and prime time TV appearances. Get a good coach. There are plenty of talented players from areas other than NJ. Ask Iowa and Nebraska and Boise State and Northwestern [and on and on and on]. It wouldn't bother me one bit if the players were from Ohio or Florida or Georgia or Pennsylvania.

 

[SHUSource]

Hobbs got weak in the knees when Rick Pitino recommended Kevin Willard to him at Seton Hall, and it was all over. Hopefully for your sake, he learned a lesson there.

Chris Ash seems like a valuable member of a staff, but an uninspired candidate for this particular head coaching job. I don't know enough about him to say more, and he could be a terrific leader, though...

 

[JMORC2003]

One of the better DC's in the country. I'd prefer him over some of the names on the list.

Same. Reminds me of a young DC from another power program that came to Piscataway. Except for the not being a NJ native part, which I get is important, but you can't have everything. I'm sure he has dynamite mid-west connections, similar to how GS mined Fla.

 

[brodo_rivals]

... I thought Fickell was the DC at OSU. I guess they are co-coordinators?

From Wikipedia:

Ash held assistant coaching positions with the Drake Bulldogs, Princeton Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones, and San Diego State Aztecs, before being hired by the Wisconsin Badgers in 2010.[3][4] In 2012, when then Badgers head coach Bret Bielema was hired at the University of Arkansas, Ash followed, accepting the Defensive Coordinator position with the Razorbacks.[5] In January 2014, Ash was hired as the Co-Defensive Coordinator and Secondary Coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes.[6] Ash has coached in 8 bowl games in his career including the 2000 Insight.com Bowl, 2001 Independence Bowl, 2002 Humanitarian Bowl, 2004 Independence Bowl, 2005 Houston Bowl, 2009 Insight Bowl, 2011 Rose Bowl, and the 2012 Rose Bowl.[3]

 

[Abro1975]

Greg Brown will have more input into the selection than Hobbs. Hobbs will do the vetting and work the contract language.

 

[NBKnight]

Hobbs got weak in the knees when Rick Pitino recommended Kevin Willard to him at Seton Hall, and it was all over. Hopefully for your sake, he learned a lesson there.

Chris Ash seems like a valuable member of a staff, but an uninspired candidate for this particular head coaching job. I don't know enough about him to say more, and he could be a terrific leader, though...

So you have no idea if he would be a good choice?

 

[RU31trap]

Recruiting NJ and the northeast is severely overrated as a credential. Too many higher profile programs eating our recruiting lunch in NJ who we will not overtake without a decade of winning and prime time TV appearances. Get a good coach. There are plenty of talented players from areas other than NJ. Ask Iowa and Nebraska and Boise State and Northwestern [and on and on and on]. It wouldn't bother me one bit if the players were from Ohio or Florida or Georgia or Pennsylvania.

Which is why I keep coming back to Lane Kiffin or Rich Rodriguez. Both men would recruit well not only in NJ but I believe PA, MD, NY, VA and maybe Florida. To me personally, recruiting is 50% and coaching is the other 50%. Chris Ash would be a disappointing hire on both fronts!

 

[S.B. Crumb]

I don't like it and if we're going to go defense Aranda is a better choice to me. Going with a defensive guy is ok by me provided he runs some sort of spread. He worked with Bielema and Meyer so it's possible he could just like Aranda who has worked with both kinds of offenses as well.

On some level, a defensive coach is good provided he's' a very good one. Those guys are harder to come by while spread coaches are a little bit more ubiquitous these days.

I like Aranda better also, but Ash is still pretty good if we go for a D first guy.

 

[greenknight]

You do know Kiffin sucks as a HC right

 

[RU31trap]

Greg Brown will have more input into the selection than Hobbs. Hobbs will do the vetting and work the contract language.

Much would depend on how much latitude Barchi gave him. If he's the final decision maker we're in trouble considering his past performance at SH.

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

He's got solid stats looking at his Wisconsin days and Ohio State, he had a bad year in Arkansas but their was some improvement over the previous years. Aranda improved on his Wisconsin stats and right now is putting up better stats at Wisconsin then Ash did and better than Ash is doing at OSU and with lesser recruited players. If we're going defense I think he's better. I don't know how he is as a recruiter. That could be a difference but I haven't looked it up.

 

[SHUSource]

So you have no idea if he would be a good choice?

No, I guess not!

Seriously, no one really does unless you practice with the guy every day. He certainly seems like a very good DC, although he could also be the beneficiary of being handed quality talent by virtue of working for top-recruiting schools (which could explain the blip year at Arkansas). But let's assume he's a very good DC. Being a head coach is a very different skill set, and places a much greater premium on leadership and organizational/programmatic details, and I don't know too many people who can vouch for Chris Ash in that regard. he's never done it!

 

[RU31trap]

You do know Kiffin sucks as a HC right

He went 8-5 with USC in the PAC-10 in light of NCAA sanctions (Pete Carrol) and 7-5 in Tennessee against SEC teams which are the very best in college football. I find it rather intriguing how some believe the guy sucks as HC when playing against some of the very best teams in the country but would welcome back a guy who couldn't win in the weakest BCS conference known to mankind. Inside of two years Lane Kiffin would have top 10 recruiting classes coming here and yes if given the chance would beat OSU. He's a much better coach today, definitely better than the guys being considered by Hobbs.

 

[BrycesUncle]

Scoring D for Ash as DC:

13 Wisconsin
16 Wisconsin
89 Arkansas
26 Ohio State
2 Ohio State

Other than the blip in Arkansas, extremely impressive. Extra points for doing it in the B1G.

S.B. His numbers look great and maybe Arkansas was way higher and he brought it down to 89 which is possible. Arkansas wasn't always the greatest. I would tend to say that he came to Arkansas with Coach Brett Bilema when they left Wisky.

 

[bac2therac]

Dont like

 

[Mr_Twister]

Which is why I keep coming back to Lane Kiffin or Rich Rodriguez. Both men would recruit well not only in NJ but I believe PA, MD, NY, VA and maybe Florida. To me personally, recruiting is 50% and coaching is the other 50%. Chris Ash would be a disappointing hire on both fronts!

Rich Rod, I like as a candidate. I'd replace your Kiffin with Rick Neuheisel. Both Rich Rod and Neuheisel would be great salesmen for the program, great with the media. Their recruiting reaches would extend far beyond NJ. And you know Rich Rod would take added pleasure from playing Michigan every year.
BTW, Ash's profile at the Ohio State site ...

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/chris_ash_882919.html

 

[rutgersguy1_rivals]

S.B. His numbers look great and maybe Arkansas was way higher and he brought it down to 89 which is possible. Arkansas wasn't always the greatest. I would tend to say that he came to Arkansas with Coach Brett Bilema when they left Wisky.

There was marginal improvement at best, really it's about the same.

2012 total defense 74 scoring defense 82

2013 total defense 76 scoring defense 89

 

[ElmiraExpress]

He went 8-5 with USC in the PAC-10 in light of NCAA sanctions (Pete Carrol) and 7-5 in Tennessee against SEC teams which are the very best in college football. I find it rather intriguing how some believe the guy sucks as HC when playing against some of the very best teams in the country but would welcome back a guy who couldn't win in the weakest BCS conference known to mankind. Inside of two years Lane Kiffin would have top 10 recruiting classes coming here and yes if given the chance would beat OSU. He's a much better coach today, definitely better than the guys being considered by Hobbs.

If this was the NFL, records like 8-5 and 7-5 are above average - more wins than loses. However, almost all P5 teams play mostly patsies OOC, so 8-5 and 7-5 means you lost most of your league games against real competition - so not impressive. Rutgers also had a 8-5 record last year, but did not have a good year, although the bowl win was impressive

 

[Caliknight]

Lane Kiffen is an awful coach. His ceiling is a career assistant.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

His agent leaked the information. He's already failed the interview.

 

[iReC89]

Don't know anything about this person, but I don't mind the strategy. Clearly our recent defense was not B1G ready, and a guy from a strong defensive program who has defended well against -all- most of the B1G teams is a step in the right direction. We are recruiting against other B1G teams now, and here is a guy who might have some credibility in selling against OSU - could help get a couple top players. A good recruiting coordinator can fill in the local connection gap. Its easier to tell how a coach develops players when they are not mostly 4 star level to start with.

 

[RUschool]

Rob Smith took over Arkansas defense and they started to win again.