Chris Ash is bringing even more of an Ohio State flavor to Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights' new head coach is bringing in another former Buckeyes assistant, reportedly tabbing Houston wide receivers coach Drew Mehringer to be his offensive coordinator, according to a report from Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel.
Mehringer, just 28 years old, worked as a graduate assistant under Urban Meyer in 2013 before heading to FCS program James Madison as the co-offensive coordinator, and after a strong year there in 2014, he joined former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman at Houston. The Cougars had a terrific first season under Herman, posting a 12-1 record, winning the American Athletic Conference championship and earning a spot in the Peach Bowl.
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Herman, who is one of the hottest names in the college football coaching profession right now, was described in Thamel's report as Mehringer's "long-time mentor." Mehringer played quarterback at Rice when Herman was the offensive coordinator, and Mehringer joined Herman as a graduate assistant at coaching stops at Iowa State and Ohio State.
In his one season as co-offensive coordinator at James Madison, Mehringer's offense put up some pretty gaudy numbers, ranking 10th in the FCS in total offense, averaging 484.6 yards per game.
“Drew is a rising star in the profession,” Ash told Thamel. “He is a very intelligent guy with a creative offensive mind. He’s been around explosive offenses and winning programs. He will do a great job caring for and developing our players.”