Rutgers may be selling a fresh start, but Chris Ash also isn't ignoring the rich history of the program either.
Blending the two in a video unveiled on Tuesday, the Scarlet Knights shared their "Jersey Strong" mantra with a wide audience, perhaps with both an eye on generating excitement for this fall and providing a glimpse at Ash's recruiting message as he tries to bring in more local talent.
Ash has not been shy about more aggressively marketing Rutgers since taking over there this offseason, and his latest sales pitch walks the line between re-branding a program with a storied history and trying to move on from some recent chapters that haven't been so memorable since joining the Big Ten. In the latest effort, the Scarlet Knights found that balance by focusing on some black-and-white clips from the past and announcements of NFL draft picks and mixing in footage of Ash leading the team through spring camp along with close-ups of challenging workouts.
Rutgers Football "Jersey Strong" https://t.co/A8oGtG5wRJ via @YouTube
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) May 17, 2016
The social-media effort is also another page out of the playbook Ash learned under Urban Meyer at Ohio State the last two seasons, one he hasn't hesitated to install since arriving at Rutgers. There is obviously still plenty of ground to make up on the field after winning just a single Big Ten game a year ago, but the Scarlet Knights are clearly making an effort to try close the gap in the year-round battle for attention off the field -- and high-quality promotional videos count there as a step in the right direction.