Chris Ash did not win many games at Rutgers, and that was ultimately what cost him his job.

But the Scarlet Knights’ former head coach believes he left the program better than he inherited it at the time of his firing earlier this year.

“As I go back and reflect on a lot of stuff, I feel strongly that I was still able to do that, and I can hold my head high because of that,” Ash told The Columbus Dispatch in his first interview since he was relieved of his duties as Rutgers coach on Sept. 29. “If I looked back and I just had a whole long list of mistakes that I made or things that I didn’t do, I’d have regret. But I feel looking for in programs — it’s in a much better place.

“There are a lot of positives at Rutgers. There are good people. It’s a good academic institution. It’s in a great area. It just needs to build. Going into the Big Ten from the American (Athletic) Conference was a big jump up, and it’s just going to take time to build facilities and take time to continue to build a competitive, deep roster.”

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Ash spoke to The Dispatch ahead of Saturday’s Big Ten matchup pitting the Scarlet Knights against No. 2-ranked Ohio State, where Ash was a national title-winning co-defensive coordinator before accepting the Rutgers job in December 2015. Ash went 8-32 in three-plus seasons with the Scarlet Knights and was axed after a 52-0 loss at Michigan in Rutgers’ fourth game this season.

Assessing the state of the program pre- and post-Ash is a largely subjective exercise. When Ash got to Rutgers, the team was just a year removed from an 8-5 finish in 2014 that included a win over Michigan and a Quick Lane Bowl victory. But Rutgers had also been ravaged by scandals involving player arrests and NCAA violations that ultimately led to probation for the program and a show-cause being slapped on former head coach Kyle Flood. Athletics director Julie Hermann was also fired for her role overseeing the program.

Ash significantly improved the culture of the program by all accounts, but there were still several high-profile off-field legal issues involving current and former players who played for Ash. The program also has slipped in some of the NCAA’s key academic metrics. Facilities improved on Ash’s watch, but those investments were not necessarily made because of his presence. And most importantly in regards to why he is no longer the coach, he did not recruit well enough and the Scarlet Knights did not win enough. The program is currently riding an 18-game Big Ten losing streak and a 20-game losing streak against Power 5 conference opponents.

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Ash told The Dispatch he hopes to return to coaching next season as either a college defensive coordinator or NFL position coach. He has never coached at the professional level.

“Right now, I can say after my time [at Rutgers] that I’m the best coach that I have been, and that’s after what I just went through,” Ash told the newspaper. “I got better. I learned a lot. I improved a lot as a coach. As long as I could do that, then that wasn’t a mistake.”

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James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.