Since RU seems determined to keep hiring assistants, it should be noted that only HC's really get the accolades for winning and fired for losing. I've always felt that hiring a successful HC from the lower divisions really makes a lot of sense. First, they know how to handle college age kids, coach them up, and win. They are administrators who understand that they are the one who answers to the AD and fans. Second, they can probably be hired at a significantly lower price which is still a lot more than they were making. This does not imply the usual "let's save some money" which is pretty common here, but a simple fact.
So, you get a guy who has already learned the hoops he has to jump through even though the new job has bigger ones. Assistants generally fly under the radar and have much less to do with the overall running of the program. Yes, they usually get axed when the HC goes, but they are not generally considered the real problem and end up somewhere else pretty quickly.
Ash came from a powerhouse program. He was given prime beef to coach. His mistakes would be minor to the overall success of the program and, thus, make him look like a genius too.
For those who thought Schiano was not a good game coach, how's he looking now as the D coordinator with all that prime beef?