Big Ten Media Day Recap: Chris Ash Press Conference and BTN Live Interview


Rutgers head football coach Chris Ash took the podium on Wednesday for his Big Ten Media Day press conference and a sit-down interview with the BTN Live team. The above link from BTN.com has the complete video of the press conference. At the end of this article, you'll find the link to the BTN Live interview.

The complete text of the press conference can be found at Scarletknights.com

These were the things that stuck out to me:

In his opening comments, Ash said that 2016 "was awful. But we've moved on." Moving on and "hitting the reset button" were common themes that Ash was imparting to the media.

Ash mentioned the facilities, particularly the Marco Battaglia Practice Facility which will aid in both "recruiting and player development." In the BTN Live interview, Ash also mentioned talk of a new locker room and training room in the future.

Asked about what new offensive coordinator Jerry Kill brings to the program, Ash mentioned Kills "leadership" and knowing that Kill was "the right fit." Kills brings "confidence" and "a head coach's view." Furthermore, Ash feels that Kill has a "scheme and system that fits what we have right now." I thought this was an important distinction as opposed to last year when it seemed that Rutgers was trying to get the players to fit the system rather than making the necessary tweaks to allow the incumbent players to have the best chance for success. Also regarding Kill, Ash talked about his "presence with the staff" and how Ash will probably "be able to sleep a little bit better at night."

Sam Hellman of Scarlet Report asked about the many transfers that have come to Rutgers since Ash took over. Ash mentioned that there were nine transfers from FBS schools and that "this is a completely different football team and roster from last year."

Another common question was regarding Ash's transition as a first-year head coach. Ash stressed that the main thing was "trusting the people that you've hired." He also felt that this year he knows his players better. In terms of things he was proud of, Ash cited the "behavior" and "social choices" of the players, the academic improvements including APR, the increase in community service, and improvements in the players' conditioning. Ash mentioned that the linebackers and tight ends were two position groups where the team has become "bigger and stronger."

Defensively, Ash stated "I think last year the strength of our football team was our secondary, and I would say it's probably going to continue to be the strength of our football team." He singled out Blessuan Austin, saying that he "has a chance to be one of the better corners in the league."

The inevitable question about the quarterback situation was answered with a bit of a surprise. Ash praised what Louisville transfer Kyle Bolin, returning starter Giovanni Rescigno, and incoming freshman Johnathan Lewis bring to the table, but also threw in Zach Allen as a serious candidate for the starting job. So it looks as though it'll start as a four-man race to be the Scarlet Knights signal caller.

Finally, coach talked about the importance of Janarion Grant's return, which I've covered in a previous post that I encourage you to check out here.

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