Chris Ash spent just two years coaching Ohio State's defense, but in those two seasons, Urban Meyer said he could tell Ash was a future head coach.
Ash had already made stops at both Wisconsin and Arkansas as a defensive coordinator before coming to Columbus to fix an Ohio State defense that ranked 112th in pass defense in 2013. By the end of 2014, the Buckeyes ranked 29th in the same category.
Ash helped the Ohio State defense tremendously, also teaching the Buckeyes the rugby-style tackling that helped lead to an improved defense and a 2014 national title. His successful two years in Columbus helped lead to his current job as the head coach at Rutgers, something Meyer said he saw coming.
"I knew Chris was going to be – he's one of the best we've had," Meyer said Monday. "And obviously did a great job. We went from most missed tackles in college football to the fewest."
Ash took over the Scarlet Knight program last season and limped to a 2-10 record, with the lone wins coming over FCS opponent Howard and New Mexico.
Despite the slow start, Meyer said he believes Ash still has the tools to be successful at Rutgers, partially because of his own skills and partially because of the proximity to good high school football talent.
"A job like that is a good job because you've got a recruiting base. And it is a good job. Now you gotta make it a good job," Meyer said. "Big picture and a great recruiter and then there's other things, but those are the two. And I usually can tell right away."
Ohio State lost just two games when Chris Ash was on staff in Columbus, winning a Big Ten and national title in 2014.
A defensive-minded coach, Ash has taken his expertise to Piscataway, N.J., and Meyer has taken notice of the improvement the Scarlet Knights have made on that side of the ball, particularly in the secondary.
"They're much better, most improved defense I've seen in the country this year," Meyer said. "From last year to this year, they're really -- they changed some things how they do business, and I just got done watching four hours of them on film."
The improvement has yet to show in the win column, but Meyer has taken notice, and it's likely other coaches around the country have as well.
Speaking at his own press conference Monday, Ash said one of the reasons he left Ohio State to take the job at Rutgers was because of the success another defensive-minded coach, now current Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, had there in previous years.
"That's one of the reasons that I made the decision to come here is because it's been done before," Ash said. "It takes a lot of time, effort and a lot of people to get it done but hoping to be able to rebuild it and get it back to where it was during his time here."
While Rutgers hasn't reached the point Ash wants yet, Meyer said he believes his former assistant has the ability to get it to where his current assistant once had it.
"He was an impact coach for us. And you could tell right away," Meyer said. "I think Chris is a great coach."
