Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
O'Hara grateful for chance at MT
3/20/2019 6:00:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – There's one question that will linger over Middle Tennessee's football program this spring and summer, one that head coach Rick Stockstill will be asked exponentially more than any other: Who will be the Blue Raiders' starting quarterback to open the 2019 season?
Gone is four-year starter and all-time great Blue Raider Brent Stockstill, who's been around the program since his father took over as head coach in 2006 and owns nearly every program passing record.
The younger Stockstill's legacy will be tough to follow, and the player who does it will have to have the right temperament off the field to match performance on the field.
That player may just be Asher O'Hara.
No offers
Middle Tennessee fans may remember O'Hara from one game in the 2018 season, when he filled in for an injured Brent Stockstill against FIU.
After the southpaw was forced out with an ankle injury in the second quarter, O'Hara came in and valiantly led the Blue Raiders in a 24-21 defeat. He paced the team with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with 9 of 20 passing for 114 yards, and he marched the blue and white all the way to the FIU 15-yard line in the waning moments before being intercepted in the back of the end zone to effectively end the game.
That Saturday night in Miami was O'Hara's first taste of Division I football, a moment he'd dreamt about since starring on the gridiron at Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
It was made all the more special that it came while donning a MT jersey.
"[Middle Tennessee] was really my only opportunity to play at the FBS level," O'Hara said. "I love it here; it's been a great fit and a special place to me."
O'Hara's college choice originally didn't include Middle Tennessee.
He wasn't offered any Division I FBS scholarships in his senior year of high school, though he was named all-state honorable mention after throwing for 1,440 yards on a 70-percent completion rate, 20 TDs and just four interceptions. He also rushed for 730 yards and five TDs.
Instead of taking a Division II or walk-on offer, O'Hara chose to follow in his older brother's footsteps by going to the College of DuPage in suburban Chicago.
He spent a season there, passing for 1,814 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushing for 565 yards, but when the time came again to start gauging college interest, O'Hara again found few colleges were willing to give him a look.
That is, until his dad got involved.
A family affair
Football is basically life in the O'Hara household. Les O'Hara, Asher's father, played safety at the University of Minnesota in the late '80s and passed his love of the game on to his sons: Devin, Asher and Jace.
Devin, the oldest, and Asher, next in line, moved to the offensive side as quarterbacks, while Jace, the youngest, finished his senior season at Rolling Meadows in 2018 as a safety and running back.
"We grew up watching [my dad's] little highlight videos and were always playing catch and stuff in the yard," Asher said. "Sometimes, I feel like I was kind of born to throw a football."
Though it may be clear the apples don't fall far from the tree, Division I schools were generally weary of Asher O'Hara, even after his solid freshman year at DuPage.
When little interest was coming the 6-foot, 195-pound quarterback's direction, Les O'Hara took matters into his own hands, creating the website asherohara.com to try and garner more attention from colleges toward his son.
It worked.
Some interest finally came from Southern Illinois and Middle Tennessee, and O'Hara chose to attend a summer camp in Murfreesboro in order to show his stuff in front of MT offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who liked what he saw.
"He's competitive, smart and it's obvious he loves playing football," Franklin said. "He has some talent … and we're excited about what Asher can give us."
Middle Tennessee calling
With a program finally willing to give him a shot, O'Hara accepted a scholarship offer to MT and followed his brother again, this time to Conference USA. Devin O'Hara, after transferring from DuPage, graduated in 2017 from North Texas after playing two years for the Mean Green.
While he was excited to finally get a chance at the FBS level, Asher O'Hara found plenty he'd have to adjust to at Middle Tennessee. Namely, he'd have to get acclimated to Franklin's system.
"It was definitely different when I got here," O'Hara said. "I had to get the footwork and stuff down, but once I did, I was able to see what his goals were, to get the ball out fast and get the run game going."
Luckily for O'Hara, he had plenty of help learning the ropes from the guy he's now tasked at replacing.
"It was nice to have Brent [Stockstill] out here, just to ask why he made throws or what he was reading," O'Hara said. "He was a great leader for us.
"I only got one season to play with him, but I learned more than I have in my whole career from any other teammate. There was never a day where I didn't learn something from Brent."
O'Hara rocketed up Middle Tennessee's quarterback depth chart a season ago, from a junior college transfer that nobody knew about to second string.
This year, things are a little different. Now, O'Hara maybe has the inside track at the starting spot as the Blue Raiders take part in spring drills.
"It's a little different," he said. "I'm experimenting with a few things and just trying to make reads easier. Really, we're having fun and just trying to get better every day."
It will be tough following one of MT's all-time greats, but if O'Hara's proven anything in the past couple of years, it's that you can't sleep on him.
He's finally getting his chance, and it's an opportunity he won't waste.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
Gone is four-year starter and all-time great Blue Raider Brent Stockstill, who's been around the program since his father took over as head coach in 2006 and owns nearly every program passing record.
The younger Stockstill's legacy will be tough to follow, and the player who does it will have to have the right temperament off the field to match performance on the field.
That player may just be Asher O'Hara.
No offers
Middle Tennessee fans may remember O'Hara from one game in the 2018 season, when he filled in for an injured Brent Stockstill against FIU.
After the southpaw was forced out with an ankle injury in the second quarter, O'Hara came in and valiantly led the Blue Raiders in a 24-21 defeat. He paced the team with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with 9 of 20 passing for 114 yards, and he marched the blue and white all the way to the FIU 15-yard line in the waning moments before being intercepted in the back of the end zone to effectively end the game.
That Saturday night in Miami was O'Hara's first taste of Division I football, a moment he'd dreamt about since starring on the gridiron at Rolling Meadows High School in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
It was made all the more special that it came while donning a MT jersey.
"[Middle Tennessee] was really my only opportunity to play at the FBS level," O'Hara said. "I love it here; it's been a great fit and a special place to me."
O'Hara's college choice originally didn't include Middle Tennessee.
He wasn't offered any Division I FBS scholarships in his senior year of high school, though he was named all-state honorable mention after throwing for 1,440 yards on a 70-percent completion rate, 20 TDs and just four interceptions. He also rushed for 730 yards and five TDs.
Instead of taking a Division II or walk-on offer, O'Hara chose to follow in his older brother's footsteps by going to the College of DuPage in suburban Chicago.
He spent a season there, passing for 1,814 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushing for 565 yards, but when the time came again to start gauging college interest, O'Hara again found few colleges were willing to give him a look.
That is, until his dad got involved.
A family affair
Football is basically life in the O'Hara household. Les O'Hara, Asher's father, played safety at the University of Minnesota in the late '80s and passed his love of the game on to his sons: Devin, Asher and Jace.
Devin, the oldest, and Asher, next in line, moved to the offensive side as quarterbacks, while Jace, the youngest, finished his senior season at Rolling Meadows in 2018 as a safety and running back.
"We grew up watching [my dad's] little highlight videos and were always playing catch and stuff in the yard," Asher said. "Sometimes, I feel like I was kind of born to throw a football."
Though it may be clear the apples don't fall far from the tree, Division I schools were generally weary of Asher O'Hara, even after his solid freshman year at DuPage.
When little interest was coming the 6-foot, 195-pound quarterback's direction, Les O'Hara took matters into his own hands, creating the website asherohara.com to try and garner more attention from colleges toward his son.
It worked.
Some interest finally came from Southern Illinois and Middle Tennessee, and O'Hara chose to attend a summer camp in Murfreesboro in order to show his stuff in front of MT offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who liked what he saw.
"He's competitive, smart and it's obvious he loves playing football," Franklin said. "He has some talent … and we're excited about what Asher can give us."
Middle Tennessee calling
With a program finally willing to give him a shot, O'Hara accepted a scholarship offer to MT and followed his brother again, this time to Conference USA. Devin O'Hara, after transferring from DuPage, graduated in 2017 from North Texas after playing two years for the Mean Green.
While he was excited to finally get a chance at the FBS level, Asher O'Hara found plenty he'd have to adjust to at Middle Tennessee. Namely, he'd have to get acclimated to Franklin's system.
"It was definitely different when I got here," O'Hara said. "I had to get the footwork and stuff down, but once I did, I was able to see what his goals were, to get the ball out fast and get the run game going."
Luckily for O'Hara, he had plenty of help learning the ropes from the guy he's now tasked at replacing.
"It was nice to have Brent [Stockstill] out here, just to ask why he made throws or what he was reading," O'Hara said. "He was a great leader for us.
"I only got one season to play with him, but I learned more than I have in my whole career from any other teammate. There was never a day where I didn't learn something from Brent."
O'Hara rocketed up Middle Tennessee's quarterback depth chart a season ago, from a junior college transfer that nobody knew about to second string.
This year, things are a little different. Now, O'Hara maybe has the inside track at the starting spot as the Blue Raiders take part in spring drills.
"It's a little different," he said. "I'm experimenting with a few things and just trying to make reads easier. Really, we're having fun and just trying to get better every day."
It will be tough following one of MT's all-time greats, but if O'Hara's proven anything in the past couple of years, it's that you can't sleep on him.
He's finally getting his chance, and it's an opportunity he won't waste.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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