Chris Ash insists he went into Rutgers’ head coaching position with eyes wide open.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge and there were going to be things we needed to work on,’’ Ash said. “And that was part of the reason I took the job.’’

Ash owns a 7-29 record overall and a 3-24 mark in Big Ten play after three seasons as Rutgers coach.

But heading into Year 4 Ash says he’s as optimistic about his ability to change the Scarlet Knights’ fortunes as he was when he inherited a downtrodden program in 2016.

“I’m still excited today as I was the day I took the job about the potential,’’ he said. “I can tell you right now the way we do business both in the athletic department and our program is a lot better than when we first got there. And I like the direction that we’re going.’’

An offseason that saw Ash make a series of changes, including the hiring of a defensive coordinator and the addition of a handful of immediately eligible transfers, will be on display on Thursday, Aug. 1, when the Scarlet Knights kickoff training camp.

“It’s a new year, a new team, (and) as we go back and look at 2018 like we did at the end of the season, it was wasn’t a lot of fun,’’ Ash said. “When you’re 1-11, things are difficult. I own it, and the good thing is that we can control our future. We’re the ones that determine whether we’re going to stay there or move forward, and I’m really excited about our football team, the way they’ve responded, the way they’ve worked, the way they’ve come together and excited about what we can show on the field in terms of improving.’’

After compiling a 2-10 record in his first season, Ash led the Scarlet Knights to a 4-8 campaign that included a surprising 3-6 mark in Big Ten play in 2017. Last year’s 1-11 record was low-lighted by a winless mark in nine Big Ten contests, but Ash believes the offseason changes will pay dividends this fall.

“Whenever you take over an organization trying to build, very rarely does it go in a straight line,’’ Ash said. “There’s ups, there’s downs, there’s plateaus. From Year 1 to Year 2 we improved; Year 3 we took a step back. Year 4 we expect to take a big step up. Whatever year there’s pressure to perform and that drives the program. This year is no different. Our focus is on our day-to-day process and improving our team and trying to work on the things we need to work on to improve and have some more success.

“But I think the foundation, the infrastructure, the culture that we want and need in our program is there. Now it’s time to go out and take a big jump.’’

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.