At this point, every Notre Dame fan has seen the rumors. Barring a last minute snag, former Ohio State defensive coordinator and Rutgers head coach Chris Ash is expected to be the next defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish. That potential decision has come with a lot of mixed opinions out there.

Like any hire, there are certainly positives that Ash brings to the table. There are also some negatives, and unknowns to navigate. Here are some of the things to know about Ash, and what he potentially brings and doesn’t bring to the table.

THE POSITIVES

Ash does have a lot of experience as a defensive coordinator, which is a huge positive. Including his stops at Drake, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Ohio State, and Texas, he has spent eight years in that role overall. During his time with the Badgers and Buckeyes specifically, Ash had a ton of success. There’s a reason why some very smart football coaches have valued him so highly.

Being with both Ohio State and Texas has given Ash experience in bigger markets as well, which should help in recruiting. That doesn’t even include his NFL experience, which should also be a nice sell to current and future players. He has also spent a lot of time in the Midwest, which should help with familiarity.

Most importantly to note about Coach Ash, when he has talent, he typically gets a lot out of the situation. He is not a bad coach by any means. He understands how to implement the strengths of his unit, especially in the secondary.

THE NEGATIVES

Outside of his time with Ohio State and Wisconsin, there has also been a lot of not so great moments on Ash’s resume. Even one of his years with the Buckeyes wasn’t overly impressive either. His defensive coordinator stops with Arkansas and Texas were both mostly a disaster. That would also be a good way to describe his tenure as the Rutgers head coach as well, although that doesn’t really matter in his fit for this job.

Ash’s last couple of jobs with Texas, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders also weren’t much to take positivity from. It has been a long time since you can legitimately say that Coach Ash has been at the top of his game, and has done a really good job. What he did in 2015 has no relevance to this job next season.

One of the biggest red flags when really diving into Ash’s background is that he’s been with ten different schools or organizations over the last 25 years. For the stability part of this job, it isn’t ideal for the growth of the Notre Dame program. Will Ash be here in three years? We know he can do a solid job in the short term, but who knows what the long term could potentially look like. We have no track record to pull from.

THE UNKNOWN

One of the most interesting parts of this conversation is what happens to secondary coach Mike Mickens? There is some talk about him becoming a co-defensive coordinator but it’s believed that he won’t have much change in duties. For a coach who has been adamant about his want to be a defensive coordinator, will that be enough to sway him to stay? Especially when head coach Marcus Freeman has openly talked about his belief in Mickens in that capacity for the future.

Is Coach Ash a good enough coach to potentially lose someone like Coach Mickens? When you really pull back the curtains for what has been the biggest reasons for such a defensive turnaround in South Bend the last couple of years, the secondary might be at the very top of that list. Keeping Mickens in blue and gold as long as possible should be the priority.

Notre Dame football entered the offseason with so much momentum, and is off to an unsettling start with their defensive coordinator search

We know the next Notre Dame DC and it’s, well, underwhelming.