Ash has made no secret of his desire to upgrade the talent level on the heels of a 2-10 record in his first campaign as Rutgers coach. He believes he did that by landing a recruiting class that was universally ranked in the top 50 nationally last winter.
Of the 26 freshmen Rutgers announced on Signing Day last February, 17 appear to have a legitimate shot at early playing time this fall.
With his team at the midway point of training camp last week, Ash was asked to pinpoint the true freshmen who have made a strong impression this preseason:
"There's been a lot of them,'' Ash said.