Report: Rutgers hire former Houston, Ohio State assistant as offensive coordinator
The Rutgers-Ohio State coaching carousel continues.
Chris Ash left the Buckeyes to take the head coaching job at Rutgers last week. Former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then agreed to come to Columbus to fill Ash’s opening.
The latest move, according to Sports Illustrated, saw Chris Ash hire Houston wide receivers coach and former Buckeye assistant Drew Mehringer as his new offensive coordinator.
Mehringer, 28, spent 2015 working alongside Houston coach Tom Herman, Ohio State’s former offensive coordinator. It was a reunion after he worked with Herman as a grad assistant at Ohio State in 2012-2013.
According to Sports Illustrated, Herman gave Ash a high recommendation of Mehringer to fill the offensive coordinator opening.
“He’s the brightest young coach in America and is more than ready to run his own offense,” Herman told Sports Illustrated on Sunday.
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Despite being just 28 years old, Mehringer brings plenty of offensive success to Rutgers. As wide receivers coach, he led a unit that produced the 12th best scoring offense in FBS. Houston also earned its first New Year’s Six berth in 2015. He also led James Madison to its best offensive season ever in his one season there in 2014.
Mehringer will look to turn around a Rutgers offense that finished 79th in scoring and only earned one B1G victory.
It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll run the high-tempo, quarterback run-heavy offense that he’s used in the past. Neither of Rutgers top two quarterbacks, Chris Laviano or Hayden Rettig, fit that bill.
Mehringer is still expected to coach Houston in the Peach Bowl against Florida State.
The team will likely make an official announcement on the hire by the end of the weekend.