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Chris Ash might have been the most important hire of the Urban Meyer era

Want to spark an interesting discussion among Ohio State fans? Pose the following question: who is the most important hire of the Urban Meyer era?

Tom Herman? Ed Warinner? Mickey Marotti?

What about Chris Ash? When Ash was hired away from Arkansas in January 2014 to become Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, the Buckeyes took a major step toward remedying a pass defense that struggled for most of the 2013 season before it morphed into a raging tire fire in Ohio State’s final three games against Michigan, Michigan State, and Clemson.

Ash’s reconfigured defense wasn’t great right away, but the Buckeyes improved as the 2014 season wore on and before reaching an elite level in both their run to the national championship and through the 2015 campaign.