Ad Disclosure
Cincinnati officially announces hiring of former Ohio State DC
Published:
Former Ohio State defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs is officially returning to Cincinnati. The school released a statement on Tuesday.
Coombs returns to Cincinnati, where he was a defensive backs coach and special teams coach from 2007-11. He spent the past two years in Columbus, serving as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State.
Welcome back @DB_CoachCoombs‼️
Kerry Coombs, who previously coached at Cincinnati from 2007 to 2011, returns as the #Bearcats special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
🔗: https://t.co/pRlS8xIo3n pic.twitter.com/XYnuhGQfoE
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) February 1, 2022
Though the two sides reportedly tried to come to an agreement to keep Coombs in Columbus, they parted ways after the Buckeyes struggled defensively through the 2021 season. Ryan Day hired Jim Knowles away from Oklahoma State to become the next defensive coordinator.
In his return to Cincinnati, Coombs will be the cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator. Coombs is familiar with head coach Luke Fickell, as both worked on Urban Meyer’s staff in the 2010s.
After his first run in Columbus, Coombs took an opportunity in the NFL on Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans staff. He was in Nashville for two seasons as the team’s defensive backs coach before returning to Ohio State in 2020.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB