There was never any indication the rebuild at Rutgers was going to be easy for Chris Ash. But the first season still had to be an eye-opener for him and the Scarlet Knights.
Taking much of what he learned at Ohio State and applying it to his program overhaul at Rutgers didn’t produce much success in Year One. And the blowout defeats against the Big Ten’s best and the winless record overall in the conference offered a clear reminder of just how sizable the challenge is for Ash.
But including everything from installing his defense to changing offseason conditioning workouts and adapting new social-media strategies, getting through the first year was crucial in laying the foundation for the Scarlet Knights -- no matter how difficult it might have been.