There was never any indication the rebuild at Rutgers was going to be easy for Chris Ash. But the first season still had to be an eye-opener for him and the Scarlet Knights.

Taking much of what he learned at Ohio State and applying it to his program overhaul at Rutgers didn’t produce much success in Year One. And the blowout defeats against the Big Ten’s best and the winless record overall in the conference offered a clear reminder of just how sizable the challenge is for Ash.

But including everything from installing his defense to changing offseason conditioning workouts and adapting new social-media strategies, getting through the first year was crucial in laying the foundation for the Scarlet Knights -- no matter how difficult it might have been.

Chris Ash's first season as head coach proved there are no quick fixes at Rutgers. Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports

Now all the pieces should be in place to start showing progress. And spring camp is the perfect place to start.

Spring schedule: The Scarlet Knights hit the field for the first of 15 scheduled workouts on Thursday. They’ll work throughout the next four weeks leading up to the annual Scarlet-White Game on April 22 at 5 p.m.

What’s new: The revolving door on the offensive coordinator’s office continues to spin, but Rutgers is planning on establishing some long overdue stability by bringing in Jerry Kill to lead the attack. The former Minnesota coach seems to be in good health again, and he already has proven he can help lead a turnaround of a Big Ten program. Kill is inheriting a unit that ranked last in the conference in scoring a year ago, averaging less than 16 points per game for former coordinator Drew Mehringer and his spread attack. Kill has been known to experiment and show flexibility with his personnel, so what exactly he can cook up with the Scarlet Knights could be fascinating to watch in the spring.

Three things we want to see:

1. A clear starter emerge at quarterback: The first step for Kill in reshaping the offense will be figuring out who should run it, a question that isn’t exactly new for Rutgers recently. Giovanni Rescigno showed some occasional glimpses that suggest he has the potential to be a productive triggerman for the Scarlet Knights, and he’s likely going to enter camp as the leader to win the job. But Kill may see something he likes in Zach Allen or Tylin Oden that could shuffle up the depth chart again. And there’s always a chance Rutgers could revisit all of this again in the fall when Johnathan Lewis arrives -- unless somebody definitely steps forward to run the show.

2. Defensive growth: Ash rose to prominence by arriving at Ohio State tasked with revamping a defense in disarray and helping turn it into a championship-level unit within a year. That sort of instant success obviously wasn’t realistic with the talent on hand at Rutgers, but giving up more than 37 points per game still will sting a coach with the pride, track record and competitiveness of Ash. There were always going to be growing pains for a team that had four true freshmen see action at times defensively, with two of them starting games for the Scarlet Knights. That early experience could pay dividends, though, and Rutgers should be in better position now to turn the corner on that side of the ball with a strong spring.

3. A healthy Janarion Grant: There’s no need to rush him back to full participation this spring, but simply seeing the dynamic weapon back on the field could provide a jolt for the Scarlet Knights and a boost of optimism heading into the summer. Before breaking his ankle last year, Grant had established himself not just as the most dangerous threat on the roster for Rutgers, but also one of the top playmakers in the Big Ten as both a wide receiver and returner on special teams. How crucial is Grant to Rutgers? He still finished third on the team in all-purpose yardage and tied for the team lead in touchdowns despite playing in just four games. Getting him back in action, even on a limited basis, would be an encouraging sign.