Former Rutgers Head Coach Chris Ash on Bless Austin: 'I think he’s a great fit for the Jets'

Chris Ash isn’t surprised by Blessuan Austin’s transition to the NFL. After all, he has seen the New York Jets cornerback up close over the past three years.

The former head coach at Rutgers, Ash oversaw Austin’s growth into one of the best defensive backs in the Big Ten, including his last two seasons at Rutgers which started with promise but each ended prematurely due to knee injuries. Austin made his return to the field this past Sunday, registering three tackles and a pass defended as the Jets beat the Giants 34-27.

The Jets took a bit of a risk on Austin, using a sixth round pick on the cornerback despite his history of injuries. It took him time to get back on the field, including missing training camp and preseason as well as the first half of the regular season.

But he showed the athleticism and instincts that made the Jets confident in using a draft pick on a player who scared away many teams with his recent injuries.

“He’s got great length for a corner,” Ash told SportsIllustrated.com.

“He has tremendous skill set and has developed a great work ethic to develop and take care of his body. He is also very confident in himself.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of Austin’s NFL debut is how seamlessly he stepped into the Jets backend.

Gase said that a reason why Austin was bumped up from the practice squad to the 53-man roster was because the rookie had a good understanding of the defense. In addition, Gase said he had no worries about Austin’s conditioning, noting that that the cornerback was in good shape physically and would be able to transition to the field.

“He was driven to reach his dream of playing in the NFL,” Ash said.

“He worked extremely hard to rehab and stayed positive throughout. I think he’s a great fit for the Jets.”