Rob Ash may coach in the Big Sky Conference next fall after all as the dominoes in the FCS coaching world continue to fall.
Ash, Montana State’s all-time leader in head coaching wins, was fired at MSU on November 23 after the first losing season in Bozeman since 2001. Ash’s name surfaced for several different job openings, including South Dakota, Southern Illinois, Western Illinois and, most recently, Southern Utah.
Ash confirmed to Ryan Miller of the Spectrum Daily News in Cedar City on Friday that he is a candidate for the Southern Utah opening. He did not divulge more details. Ash was one of two finalists for the Western Illinois job before removing his name from the search, per a report by FootballScoop.com. Miller also reports that former SUU quarterback Joe DuPaix, most recently an assistant at BYU and Navy, is also in the mix for the opening. Current SUU defensive coordinator DeMario Warren and offensive coordinator Justin Walterscheid will also be granted interviews, which will take place in Denver.
The same day Ash was fired at MSU, Joe Glenn announced his retirement after four seasons at South Dakota. Glenn coached for 40 seasons, including leading Northern Colorado to back-to-back Division II national titles in 1996 and 1997 before taking over at Montana in 2000. He led the Griz to a 39-6 record in three seasons, including two straight appearances in the FCS national title game and Montana’s second national title in 2001. Glenn spent six seasons at Wyoming before taking over at his alma mater in 2012.
Ash’s name was floated as a potential candidate to replace Glenn but on December 15, USD hired Bob Nielson from Western Illinois as its head coach. Nielson won 100 games and two Division II national titles in 10 seasons at Minnesota-Duluth before taking the WIU job in 2013.
A grave economic situation including a budget that is not fully authorized has caused for a shaky economic climate among Illinois’ college football programs, namely Western Illinois. Nielson sited the budget woes as a primary reason for his move from Macomb to Vermillion.
On December 29, WIU announced its two finalists were Richmond offensive coordinator Charlie Fisher and Ash. Both candidates interviewed on campus this week, Fisher on Wednesday and Ash on Thursday. On Friday, Ash confirmed he had withdrawn his name from the coaching search at WIU.
On Friday, Ash confirmed he is a candidate for the Southern Utah job left vacant by Ed Lamb’s departure to BYU on December 26. The BYU alum spent eight seasons at SUU, helping the Thunderbirds transition to the Big Sky in 2012, leading SUU to its first FCS playoff berth in 2013 and the program’s first-ever Big Sky title in 2015. Lamb, the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year, will serve as the assistant head coach on Kalani Sitake’s staff. Southern Utah athletic director Jason Butikofer took the AD position on August 17 of 2015.
During nine seasons at Montana State, Ash posted a 70-38 record that included a pair of postseason wins in four overall trips to the playoffs. He helped MSU claim three straight Big Sky titles between 2010 and 2012. But MSU missed the playoffs two of the last three seasons, struggling with top-tier competition along the way. The Bobcats posted an overall record of 4-14 against Big Sky rivals Montana and Montana State during Ash’s tenure, including six straight losses beginning in 2013.
