Texas hires ex Rutgers coach Ash as defensive coordinator

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas hired former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash as its defensive coordinator Tuesday as Tom Herman rebuilds his staff following a 7-5 regular season that fell well short of expectations.

Ash, who was fired at Rutgers this season, was the defensive co-coordinator at Ohio State in 2014 when the Buckeyes won the national championship and Herman was offensive coordinator.

“I’ve witnessed firsthand Chris’ skills as a game planner, his attention to detail and ability to develop players,” Herman said. “He gets the best out of every one of them and has a history of building physical, fundamentally sound, winning defenses. He has done it at the highest level, is a tremendous all-around coach and an awesome person.”

Ash will join the Texas staff Wednesday, but he will not help coach the Longhorns in the Dec. 31 Alamo Bowl against Utah.

Herman fired defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and demoted offensive coordinator Tim Beck on Dec. 1. The Longhorns ranked near the bottom nationally in several major defensive categories this season and Texas fell back into the middle of the pack in the Big 12 a year after winning 10 games.

Ash was a defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and Arkansas before his stint with Herman at Ohio State. His record as head coach at Rutgers was 8-32 and he was dismissed just a few games into the 2019 season.

Herman and Ash also worked together as assistants at Iowa State in 2009.