Longhorns Defensive Prospects Rave About Jaguars' Assistant Chris Ash
Some of the Big 12's best draft prospects were on hand for pro scouts, coaches, and executives during the University of Texas' pro day earlier this week, but this was one pro day the Jacksonville Jaguars had even more insight into.
Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer made a number of college-to-NFL hires during his first month as the Jaguars' coach, including hiring his former defensive coordinator and then-Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash as his defensive backs/safeties coach.
Now, Ash is able to give the Jaguars a unique insight into the defensive prospects entering the NFL out of Texas' program. He knows their strengths and weaknesses on the field and what they would offer to the Jaguars off the field, which is invaluable knowledge.
But what about the information the Jaguars could get from those under Ash? What could the Jaguars learn about their new coach instead of using their new coach to learn about prospects?
A few of Ash's former players weighed in following Texas' pro day this week, offering rave reviews for Ash.
"Chris Ash is amazing. He’s a great coach, a great leader," said Texas edge defender Joseph Ossai, who is the Longhorns' top defensive prospect.
"I don’t want this to go into a competition between him and [Todd] Orlando, but that’s how it is. They were both great
coaches. Chris Ash was a phenomenal coach."
Ossai, a consensus All-American in 2020, confirmed he has had one meeting with the Jaguars this draft process. He is an uber-athletic edge defender who is capable of standing up on the edge, is strong against the run, and has terrific potential as a pass-rusher. Add in the Ash connection, and Ossai could be a sleeper to the Jaguars at No. 25 or No. 33 if he falls out of the first.
Ossai jumped out of the gym at his pro day, recording a 41.5-inch vertical jump and a 10'11" broad jump, each elite figures for a player his size. And after he dominated in front of scouts, he continued to heap praise on Ash.
"He believed in working hard, he believed in repetition. That’s all we did. We would go out there in every walk-through and some of the guys would get bored with it but when we started leading the Big 12 in run stoppage we started to buy into it a little bit," Ossai said.
"That’s all he is, a work-hard guy, and it pays off."
Ash was a defensive analyst for the Longhorns in 2019 before stepping into the coordinator role in 2020. He has previously coached for Meyer as well, serving as Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach from 2014-2015.
Ohio State won the National Championship for the 2014 season in Ash's first year with Meyer and the Buckeyes. Ohio State's defense for the national championship game had eight defensive starters drafted.
A year before Ash helped take over Ohio State's defense, the unit had ranked 112th in pass defense and 47th in total defense. In his first season, the school's defense ranked 19th nationally in total defense and 29th in pass defense. The Buckeyes also ranked fourth nationally with 24 interceptions.
Ash got his latest college chance to lead in defense in 2020, helping Texas improve slightly in its ranking for points allowed per game, but they improved in yards allowed per play from 6.1 to 5.2. Texas allowed just 3.4 yards per carry last season, something Longhorns defenders largely credit Ash for.
While Texas' defense didn't see giant leaps in terms of overall impact, its players progressed. Development happened. And as a result, Ash left his mark on the Longhorns roster.
"I love him. I'm really thankful for him. I feel like he did come in and clean up some of my areas in the game that still kind of goes unnoticed," Texas safety Caden Sterns said.
"But I really do appreciate him, the way he coaches, the way he teaches, how detail-oriented he is. I feel like I learned a lot from him and improved in the mental aspect of the game that I feel like, for me, is second to none. I feel like my IQ is second to none when it comes to other players and how much I know the game. But I think some of that is credit to him."
Ash will be key to the Jaguars as they look at potential prospects to add in April, but even more key to their success once the season begins. The Jaguars' secondary was torched last year and Meyer has already made it clear the Jaguars are set to revamp the unit.
But if Ossai's and Sterns' reviews are accurate, then the Jaguars may just have found their next quality defensive assistant.
