PISCATAWAY -- Apparently, Chris Ash knows how to ace a job interview.

Rutgers Athletics Director Pat Hobbs acknowledged just that last December, when he said his introduction with Ash was "the single best interview'' that he's had with "any individual'' in "25 years in higher education.''

Ash, of course, got the Rutgers head coaching job and Hobbs recently said he has no regrets.

"He's exceeding expectations,'' Hobbs told NJ Advance Media in July. "He's an incredibly intense, driven individual, which is exactly the type of person Rutgers needs right now.''

Long before he interviewed for the Rutgers job, Ash met Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for a job interview. The two coaches will match wits Saturday, 7 p.m., in a Big Ten East Division clash at High Point Solutions Stadium.

While Ash and Harbaugh have morphed into rivals as they've gone head-to-head on the recruiting trail for some of New Jersey's best prospects over the last 10 months, it was a decade ago that Ash sat across from Harbaugh in an interview for a job at Stanford.

Harbaugh remembers it well.

"He really stood out,'' Harbaugh said Tuesday, when asked by NJ Advance Media during the Big Ten media teleconference for his recollection of that interview with Ash. "He was very, very well prepared and had his entire coaching philosophy laid out, he had video clips, drill clips, he was very impressive.''

For his part, Ash didn't know exactly when the interview took place but said it was during his time as coaching the defensive backs at San Diego State from 2007-08.

"(He's a) guy I have a lot of respect for, followed his career,'' Ash said, referring to Harbaugh. "He started his head coaching career in the Pioneer Football League at the University of San Diego and that's where I cut my teeth in coaching, at Drake. San Diego and Drake played each other.''

Harbaugh said it was Ash's former boss, ex-Drake head coach Rob Ash (no relation), who recommended the now Rutgers coach for a job on his Stanford staff.

"I remember being very, very impressed,'' Harbaugh said. "He was right there for the job and I think he ended up second, because I didn't hire him. But obviously he has proved to be a phenomenal coach. And it's no surprise.''

And, in a statement that echoes what Hobbs said during Ash's introductory press conference at Rutgers, Harbaugh added: "I remember that interview being one of the finer interviews that I've ever been involved in.''

These days, Harbaugh is busy preparing his Michigan team to face Ash's Scarlet Knights.

"There's no question ... the (Rutgers) football team is playing hard, they're well-coached,'' Harbaugh said. "You can really see it being built. And not just building, they're attacking at the same time. It's solid, and we're in the midst of the preparations right now but I've been impressed.

"I know it'll be a task for our football team going on the road for the first time and playing a team that's like us. They are like us in a lot of respects.''

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