Michael J. Ashmore

Correspondent

BRIDGEWATER - If Chris Ash can coach a football team as successfully as he throws out first pitches at baseball games, Rutgers University is in for a banner year.



The new Scarlet Knights head coach fired a perfect strike prior to the Somerset Patriots game at TD Bank Ballpark on Friday night, which came just weeks after he accomplished the same feat at Yankee Stadium.



It was the latest in a long line of positive community appearances for the 42-year-old, who signed a five-year, $11 million deal in December to become the 30th head coach in program history.



“Everywhere I’ve gone or members of our staff have gone, we’ve been well received,” said Ash, who was accompanied by the Scarlet Knight mascot and four members of the cheerleading team.



“People have been very supportive of our program and have been very excited about what they see that we’re doing so far. This is another good opportunity to get out and spread our brand a little more.”



Certainly, any goodwill is welcomed for the beleaguered football team, which was plagued by numerous problems off the field and a 4-8 record on it last season. Ash was brought over from Big Ten rival Ohio State, where he served a two-year stint as the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, and despite still being 63 days away from the season opener at Washington on Sept. 3, is happy with what he’s seen so far.



“Just watching our team improve is the biggest thing,” said Ash, who was most pleased with the gains he’s from his team in weight room.



“We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time, but we have a long way to go. But I like the way our team has come together so far; I like the attitude and the effort they have, and I’m anxious to watch the improvement that we’re able to make on the field.”



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Ash, who signed autographs for a long line of fans on the concourse and mingled with others on the field, said he’ll make a decision on his team’s starting quarterback – a process he labeled as “an open competition” – “some time in training camp” and said the team is “nowhere near being settled on that position.”



The name that fans on the concourse bandied about the most was prized transfer Zach Allen, who came over from TCU, but would be eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer.



“I don’t have a whole lot of an impression yet, we just haven’t been able to do a lot with him. We’re not able to be around him with balls and stuff like that or really see him throw,” Ash said.



“If I were to give you one first impression, he’s a really good kid and a really intelligent kid. He’s going to be good in the locker room, and he’s going to be a good teammate, and he’s going to work extremely hard. I have seen that from him.”



Ash, hopeful that whoever his quarterback is and the rest of his squad can turn in a solid season, wasn’t going to define his team’s success on any possible win-loss goal.



“We just want to be successful,” he said. “If I can see a football team that competes for four quarters over 12 games, and we get better and are playing our best football at the end of the season, then I’ll feel good about the direction that we’re going with the foundation that we’ve laid. But I’m not going to sit here and say we need to win six games, eight games, 10 games. … We’ve got to be playing with a lot of energy and passion, and if I see those things, I’ll be happy about the direction that we’re going.”



But all football-related questions aside, Ash was happy to have a fun night out where he could get further integrated with a community that he’s been thrilled to see has accepted him with open arms.



“I know there was a lot of chatter about my staff and myself not being from New Jersey, and people thought that you needed to be from (here) to come to Rutgers and build a program,” he said. “But if you look around the landscape of college football, there a lot of head coaches in places where they’re not actually from … with that being said, I’ve been shocked at the reception from high school coaches and fans with us coming here.”



