Back in 2016, Austin Kendall, a freshman reserve quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, made waves nationally by remarking that the Ohio State Buckeyes had a “basic defense.” It sounded like a dig, but it actually described the Silver Bullets to the letter. The Buckeyes didn’t do anything exotic, but that simplicity worked in favor of a team with so many talented, well-schooled players.
Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman mined his OSU lineage when searching for a new defensive coordinator after the 2019 season. Enter Chris Ash, who served as co-defensive coordinator of the Buckeyes in 2014 and 2015 before an unsuccessful stint as head coach at Rutgers.