Texas Football: Chris Ash Officially Named DC at Texas

The University of Texas made it official on Tuesday morning, naming Chris Ash the next defensive coordinator of the program.

The former Rutgers head coach had stops as a defensive coordinator with Wisconsin, Arkansas and Ohio State, including time with Tom Herman when the Buckeyes won the 2014 national title.

Rumors of Ash's hiring have been rampant since this weekend with reports coming from several outlets that the deal had been done.

Ash will officially join the staff on Dec. 18, but won't be on the team's sideline for the Alamo Bowl.

“After taking a hard look at a lot of options at defensive coordinator, Chris was the one that continued to stand out,” Herman said in a press release. “We couldn’t be more excited what he’ll add to our staff. I’ve witnessed firsthand Chris’ skills as a game planner, his attention to detail and ability to develop players. 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. I know he’ll do great things, and our players, coaches and staff will really enjoy working with him. We look forward to his arrival in Austin, getting to work, and him and his family joining our Longhorn family.”

Aside from Ash and Herman's time together at Ohio State, the two also linked up on the same staff at Iowa State in 2009.

“Number one, I’m humbled and extremely honored to be able to coach football at The University of Texas,” Ash said. “I want to thank Tom Herman and Chris Del Conte for this opportunity and for their professionalism throughout the process. My family and I are very excited to move to Austin and become part of Longhorn Nation, and I’m ready to lead and serve our student-athletes.

“I have a great deal of respect for Coach Herman as a coach and a person. If I didn’t believe in him, I wouldn’t be making this move. I have complete confidence and faith and trust in his ability to lead and to coach, and I’m excited to be a part of this program.”

Texas will ink its early signing period class tomorrow and is currently preparing for an Alamo Bowl date against Utah on Dec. 31 in San Antonio.