Defensive Coaching Staff
Defensive coordinator: Chris Ash
After a failed head coaching experiment at Rutgers, Chris Ash is back to what he does best. Of course we are talking about deploying a defense to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Ash is reunited with Herman after the duo helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National Championship in 2014. Their former boss Urban Meyer has high praise for the job Ash does on the defensive side of the ball.
Ash inherited Oscar Giles from the previous staff under the previously departed Todd Orlando. Giles will remain coaching on the defensive line along with newcomer Mark Hagen. Hagen is known for his outstanding recruiting efforts. The duo of Hagen and Giles will need to get their unit to create disruption in the backfield.
The new linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler comes over from South Carolina. In his previous stop he worked with previous defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Hutzler will be in charge of deploying a linebacker group that needs to improve in 2020.
In the secondary, Ash will be joined by former player Jay Valai. Valai has been making waves on the recruiting front but how well will he serve as a defensive backs coach? He inherits cornerback D’Shawn Jamison and safety Caden Sterns. Each player led the team in interceptions the last two season. Valai needs to coach up the unit and bring more takeaways in 2020 to allow for the offense more opportunities to drop 45 points a game.