Before last season, the Michigan football team hired Ohio State running back Tony Alford to coach. Now, a year and a half later, Sherron Moore has added another notable former OSU coach to the staff, though not a direct hire from the Buckeyes.
Just days after firing special teams coordinator J.B. Brown, Moore is looking to add another person in the same position. Enter former Ohio State secondary coach and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, who excelled in his first role but struggled in his second. Coombs was pushed out of Columbus after the 2021 season after his defense allowed 42 points in a game to the Wolverines. But now he follows in the footsteps of Alford and former offensive line coach Ed Wariner and comes to Ann Arbor as the new special teams coordinator.
advertise
Here is the full press release.
Full release:
University of Michigan J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coaches Sherron Moore Hiring announced on Saturday (December 6) Kerry Combs Serves as special teams coordinator for the Wolverines. Coombs brings 42 years of coaching experience to Ann Arbor, coaching players at the high school, college and NFL levels.
“Coach Kerry Coombs is a proven and outstanding football coach and we are excited to welcome him to our program,” Moore said. “Kerry’s leadership on our special teams will be invaluable. His expertise in teaching and coaching continues to shape outstanding athletes and outstanding young men, including some of the nation’s top special teams players and cornerbacks. We are proud to have Kerry, Holley and their families join the Michigan football family.”
advertise
Coombs was named the Rivals.com 2017 National Recruiter of the Year and was selected as the Big Ten’s Recruiter of the Year three times.
Most recently, Coombs served as Cincinnati’s special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach from 2022-24. His cornerbacks battled injuries all season in 2023, with five different players getting their first career starts. UC still ranks fourth in the Big 12 in pass defense. On special teams, punter Mason Fletcher earned Big 12 Conference honorable mention and kicker Carter Brown went 15-for-19.
In 2022, Coombs brings in a new starter at cornerback. Ja’Quan Sheppard elevated his game, rising from backup to starter and earning first-team all-league honors. Fletcher was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year. Ryan Coe was a second-team all-league kicker.
After a stint coaching in the NFL, Coombs returns to Ohio State to serve as the program’s defensive coordinator for two seasons (2020-21). He helped the Buckeyes win the Big Ten Conference Championship and reach the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The team’s rushing defense ranks sixth in the country, and the team has committed 20 turnovers in just eight games. Cornerback Sean Wade was a consensus All-American defensive back and was selected as the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year.
advertise
Coombs joins the Tennessee Titans, where he served as the team’s secondary coach for two seasons (2018-19) during his tenure at Ohio State. During his time in Nashville, Coombs built one of the league’s best teams, ranking in the top 10 in pass defense both seasons and ranking among the top teams in passer rating, opponent completion percentage and interceptions. The Titans made the playoffs in 2019 but lost in the AFC Championship Game.
After five successful seasons at Cincinnati, Coombs accepted the job at Ohio State in 2012, coaching the cornerbacks. During his final five seasons in Columbus (2013-17), he added special teams coordinator responsibilities. The Buckeyes totaled 101 interceptions, 17 of which were touchdowns, which was the best in the nation at the time. Additionally, every starting cornerback has played in an NFL game during this span.
In a four-year span (2014-17), the Buckeyes won two Big Ten Conference championships and became the first-ever College Football Playoff national champion in 2014. Ohio State has never ranked lower than 13th nationally in pass defense, including a No. 3 finish in the NCAA rankings in 2016. Ohio State also ranked fourth nationally with 21 interceptions in 2016, including a national lead with seven interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Coombs coached seven cornerbacks at Ohio State who were selected in the first round of the NFL draft: Bradley Roby (2014, Denver Broncos), Eli Apple (2016, New York Giants), Marshon Lattimore (2017, New Orleans Saints), Galion Conley (2017, Oakland Raiders), Denzel Ward (2018, Cleveland Browns), Jeff Okudah (2020) 2020, Detroit Lions) and Damon Arnette (2020, Las Vegas Raiders). During that time, Coombs became the first coach to draft three cornerbacks in the first round in consecutive drafts (2016-17).
advertise
In 2007, he joined Brian Kelly’s staff at the University of Cincinnati as the defensive backs coach and remained with the program through the 2011 season. In his first season with the Bearcats, the team led the nation with 26 interceptions. In 2009, Coombs was promoted to associate head coach in addition to serving as special teams coordinator and continuing as defensive backs coach. He was instrumental in Cal’s 33-7 record in three seasons, including two BCS bowl games: the 2008 Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech and the 2009 Sugar Bowl against Florida.
Coombs had an outstanding high school coaching career before entering the college coaching ranks. In 1991, he became the head coach of his alma mater, Colerrain High School in Cincinnati, leading the program for 16 years. Coombs’ teams compiled a 161-34 overall record during his tenure, reaching the state playoffs 10 times and reaching the state semifinals five times. The Cardinals won the 2004 state championship under Coombs.
He served as an assistant coach at Greenhills High School in Cincinnati and Lakota High School before accepting the head coaching job at Loveland High School in 1989.
Coombs is a native of Colerain, Ohio and a 1983 graduate of the University of Dayton. He was a member of the Flyers’ 1980 Division III national championship team.
advertise
Combs and his wife, Holly, have three adult children: daughter Courtney, and sons Brayden and Dylan.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Former Buckeyes DC Kerry Coombs New Michigan Football Special Teams