Throughout his time as a defensive coordinator in college football, newly hired Chris Ash has seen some excellent defensive lineman play a key role in his system. Making stops in Wisconsin for three seasons, Ash got to work with JJ Watt, currently one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. In the 2010 season, Watt was second in the Big 10 in sacks with seven and won the Ronnie Lott Trophy, given out to the defensive IMPACT player of the year.
After a one-season stop in Arkansas, Ash found himself with Urban Meyer at Ohio State. There, he worked with Joey Bosa, who recorded 18.5 sacks in two seasons with Ash. In 2014, he won Big 10 defensive player of the year and was a consensus All-American in both seasons.
It is no secret that rushing the passer was one of the main issues for the Longhorns. While it was not the only issue, having a solid defensive line is the way to build up a national championship-caliber defense. To fix that issue, Texas hired Ash and has given him the chance to revamp the defense.
It begun with position changes yesterday, with the most important change coming with Joseph Ossai moving to the jack position on the defensive line. Now, Ossai will be rushing the passer most plays, something he excelled at in the bowl game against Utah last season.
Ash had high praise for Ossai saying he see’s “a lot” of the same things in him that he did with Watt and Bosa.
“I’ve been around some really good ones and hopefully Joseph can become one of them,” said Ash.
Ossai led the Longhorns in sacks last season, ending the year with five. Three of them came in the Alamo Bowl to end the season, adding six tackles for loss to go with them. His ability to disrupt quarterback Tyler Huntley was the reason the defense was excellent all night.
If more is to come next season for Texas, they have the possibility to be the best defensive line in the conference, led by Ossai. Even if he is half as good as JJ Watt or Joey Bosa, the Longhorns have a special player on their hands.