According to FootballScoop.com, "Sources tell us that Cincinnati associate head coach / defensive backs / special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs interviewed yesterday in Columbus with Urban and the staff. Coombs is an Ohio guy through and through. He had an .826 winning percentage at Colerain High School. Don't be surprised if he gets the job."
http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/coombs_kerry00.html
Been wondering when they're going to hire someone. Never heard of him but sounds like he could definitely recruit Ohio, and is probably well respected by other high school coaches.
He's a great DB mentor, so it makes sense. Could continue to establish the Cinci pipeline.
Can't comment on his coaching, but it wouldn't hurt recruiting to have an in at Colerain.
Good pick up. He has put out a lot of good d backs for us, even if some haven't worked out here (Tyler Moeller for one) He used to be head coach at Colerain
He is as intense as it gets, which would be perfect with this staff. He's known more for his recruiting than coaching, but I dont think that means he is a bad coach.
Meh...being from Cincy and having played against his Colerain teams, Im not too excited about him. Colerain plays in an extremely weak conference so his players stand out on film. He does have an intensity about him that would be a plus.
If you guys want to see his recruiting breakdown the past six years, check this link out: http://ohiostate.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Year=2012&Sport=1&Coach=1935
I feel that the staff transition from relaxed to "hair on fire" intense is going to show up in a big way on the field. Heck, I'm pumped up and simply a spectator. Also, if Coombs is brought in, I am certain he will be welcomed by the Buckeye Nation.
UC's pass defense seemed horrible to me last year.
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.
JACK TATUM
Coombs coaches a very pedestrian pass defense at UC. Yeah, he would/could be a great recruiter, considering we have such a pathetic recruiting presence in Cincinnati. But, if you can't coach well, it doesn't matter how good your recruits are (no more Walrus!). Either way, gotta trust whatever Urban says.
Well the level of talent/skill in Cinci's secondary is what you have to weigh against his coaching. He could be a great coach, but if the talent isn't there, it's hard to do anything.
Cincy was tied for 18th with 16 interceptions in 2011 (3 returned for TDs). I realize tOSU had a terrible year, but tOSU was tied for 41st with 13 interceptions (0 returned for TDs). He could work with a higher level of talent at tOSU. Plus, it appears he coached all DBs at Cincy; would it be beneficial if he could focus on CBs with Withers coaching Safeties?
http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/team/_/stat/defense/sort/interceptions
Ummmm, hasn't Colerain always played very competitively against GCL schools from the good conference in Cincinnati. Seems like I can remember them winning their fair share of games against St. X, Elder, and Moeller. It's been a few years since Combs has coached there, but the guy had some damn good teams. Ohio State has made some pretty good inroads to recruiting the Cincinnati area recently. Posey, Norwell, Adolphus Washington, and Geographically speaking Springboro and Middeltown fall in the Cincinnati Metro area. Getting a coach like Combs could only help them tap into that area even more. I don't know. I don't think it'd be a terrible hire to make.
@MACKRM
huh? the GMC is a pretty good conference. Not the GCL, but pretty good. Not sure what you are talking about with the 'extremely weak' comment
either way, that stuff doesnt make or break him as a college coach anyway. we'll just have to see how he does I guess.
Yeah, but if you want to include talent in the equation then you have to consider the level of talent that UC played against compared to OSU. And Colerain has won at least a share of the title every year since 2000 to the present. I'm not saying he would be a bad hire, but it wouldn't necessarily excite me in any way either.
I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.
JACK TATUM
would be a good hire
Your top big schools in cincy always seem to find their way into playing each other. Its a stacked region as far as DI goes. Private schools seem to feed more kids into notre dame than anywhere. Especially since brian kelly took over in south bend. Having a cincy guy who knows the coaches, and the kids to keep an eye on would be a big help. Considering he coached one of the top programs in cincy, and also was on UC's staff, his name is well known down there. That, and he seems to know the defensive side of the ball quite well. Wouldn't be a bad hire on either front...coaching or recruiting. Then again, neither would ron zook.
Was the Big East talent that much worse than the B1G last year? Ohio State wasn't exactly playing a murderous schedule last year. I don't know if people don't like the guy because he's from Cincinnati or they dont' think it's a sexy enough pick for Ohio State, but I don't think it would be a terrible hire. He had UC in on some big names recruiting wise, no they didn't close the deal, but there's a lot of competition for landing these elite prospects from Cincinnati and UC isn't exactly and easy sell when Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and others are coming to town to get kids.
So I'm curious... if the Buckeyegrove site has him on their page, does that hint at him having been already hired?
Talk about a guy that has some fire. Someone who will be teaching not as Urban likes from his coaches. He seems to know his stuff coaching the DB's from the glimpses you can find online. And he was the assistant head coach at Cincy - how many former assistant head coaches slash former head coaches do we have on the staff now? The guy apparently is also an outstanding recruiter (247 top 50, ESPN had him as an honorable mention for the Big East). I think if he ends up coming to OSU it will be a good hire to help "seal the borders," with Cincinnati being a weak spot in OSU recruiting for some time now. It was interesting when Mgoblog carved up Ohio into sections to analyze what areas bred Scarlet and Gray, and which anyone else might have a shot in, Cincy really was a crapshoot compared to surrounding areas (part 2 of that post if interested). I'm pretty excited at this guy's potential and couldn't agree more with Alex, this would be a really great hire.
One thing, and this has nothing to do with the recent ESPN article but rather something I've been wondering since Coach Johnson left - I wonder if a minority hire wouldn't be a bad idea? That being only if we find someone that is as good as Coombs of course. As a minority myself, I can appreciate that you're not always dealing with an even playing field and that a lot of industries (coaching among them) are a buddy network that can be hard to crack (oddly enough, given the large amount of minority players). Even then, I wouldn't want to pass on a better coach just for the same of filling a "quota" as this honestly does a disservice to all parties involved. Troy Douglas (Scout Profile) was someone who had originally mentioned for the job that comes to mind, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind toooo much leaving the Cyclones for the Buckeyes (boy would they hate us if we did after grabbing their OC too). He has Big Ten experience, UNC has had solid defensive backfields under him, and he has sent kids to the NFL. And he's an Appalachian State grad. Enough said?
Many in cincy are happy he is gone. That is they believe he isn't much on the field. They are upset because he is a well beloved recruiter among Ohio HS coaches though. This is more than sour grapes as they have said this forever.
There are a couple cincy receiver studs coming up. He has sw Ohio connections. This has to be in order to stop kelly at ND in that area.
Bru
Coach Coombs..........Urban's on the line...
Message flagged Thursday, March 1, 2012 1:54 PM
Jones: ‘I’ll always be indebted to Kerry Coombs’
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Associate head coach Kerry Coombs is leaving the University of Cincinnati football program after five years to become the defensive backs coach at Ohio State under Urban Meyer.
Coombs, who spent 16 years as the head coach at Colerain High School before entering college coaching as an assistant to Brian Kelly, told UC coach Butch Jones about his decision on Wednesday.
“We sat in my office for hours,” Jones said.
One of the first things Jones did when he was hired to replace Kelly at UC in December 2009 was to convince Coombs to stay, even though Kelly had offered Coombs a job at Notre Dame.
“I will always be indebted to him,” Jones said. “He helped me with the whole process of coming to Cincinnati. He brought me along. He introduced me to the right people, taught me different things about Cincinnati. This isn’t just a relationship that started when I came here. I knew Kerry for years prior to coming here. He made for the transition to be very smooth.”
In addition to coaching defensive backs at UC, Coombs was also in charge of special teams and was recently named defensive pass game coordinator. He was also in charge of recruiting players from the Cincinnati area.
“Not only was there a professional relationship but there’s also a personal relationship,” Jones said. “He continues to be a good friend, but the world of college football is always changing. This is an opportunity for someone else to come in.”
Coombs was 161-34 at Colerain. His 2004 team won the Ohio Division I state championship
I like the hire and this will only make our program stronger in recruiting
Makes me a little nervous about how some are questioning his actual "coaching" ability at CB considering how much the DBS need to improve from last year. However, I trust Urban's ability to choose his coaches and Coomb's cincy connections sound great.
Don't give up... Don't ever give up.
I do not know about how this man can coach, but the fact that he has an established presense in Cincy is huge! SW Ohio/Cincy is one of the top regions in the state of Ohio as far as talent. I would consider it #2 behind NE Ohio but it does vary year to year. Last year we landed Washington from there but missed on Bolden( although we did pull in great LBs) and Stafford. Other guys in past classes that we've missed on from there that come to mind are Spencer Ware (LSU), Greg Jones (MSU),Kyle Rudolph (ND), Luke Kuechly (BC). I feel like adding him will helping us establish the "presence" we need in that area like we have in the rest of the state. Go Bucks!
Without a doubt, this is a VERY NICE HIRE by Coach Meyer. This guy coached @ one of the "premiere" High Schools in Ohio (Colerain). He'll do a very nice job recruiting & continue to bring that great influx of talent to OSU. He sure has a nice group to work with coming in thus far for 2013 (how could any coach not be excited about coaching these very talented young men). Good luck Coach Coombs
Shendig
http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stories/2012/03/01/0301-ohio-state-football-assistant-coach.html
welcome Coach Coombs!
Alex,
What can you say about this hire?...people are all over the map...some say it's great...some not happy.
Please read comments before you post. He said it "would be a good hire" a couple of comments earlier.
I did read it.....I want more of his thoughts on it....there is more to it than "would be a good hire".
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/03/friday-skull-session
I read that too......You don't get it do you? I'm not going to say anything else as to not violate the commenting policy.
Coach Coombs will do a great job recruiting and coaching. He was a very respected High School coach who had a good record against some great X and Elder teams in the early to mid 2000's. He was also well repected at UC. A good Defensive mind and teacher. His players loved him and his fellow coaches and competitors respected him Many people in the know thought that he might be UC's head coach if Butch Jones left.
Not Sure how the poster above could call the GMC extremely week...........definately not as good as the GCL with X, Elder and Moeller but still probably the 2nd best in Cincy and not many better ones in Ohio. They usually have +/- 3 teams in the top 10 in the Cincinnati polls.
Vince