Kerry Coombs will no longer be with Ohio State according to multiple reports
Kerry Coombs time with the Ohio State program has reportedly come to a close after two short years, according to multiple reports. Coombs’ first stint at OSU was a successful one under Urban Meyer from 2012 to 2017 when he was the defensive backs coach and part of the national title-winning 2014 squad.
From there, Coombs was lured to the NFL by former Ohio State player and assistant Mike Vrabel after he took the head coaching job of the Tennessee Titans. Coombs was the defensive backs coach in Nashville for two seasons (2018 and 2019) before Ryan Day hired him as the defensive coordinator in 2020.
From there, things did not go as well as anyone anticipated on that side of the ball. A defense that excelled under former co-defensive coordinators Jeff Hafley and Greg Mattison, saw significant drops in performance both seasons, unable to do its part for a team that was one of the best in the country in offensive production both years.
Things got so bad early on in 2021, that Coombs was relieved of his playcalling duties and sent up to the press box. Assistant Matt Barnes became the lead defensive playcaller with Coombs still on staff, and things seemed to get better — at least for awhile.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs encourages players during warm-ups before a NCAA Division I football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. Credit: USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes were severly handled physically by Michigan and dropped The Game for the first time in nearly a decade by a score of 42-27. Coombs, a revered high school coach in the state of Ohio, has done a lot of good for football in the state and will always be remembered for his work on Meyer’s staff. But it now appears as though he’ll be turning a page into the next chapter of his life, one that does not appear to have a scarlet and gray hue to it.
This now makes both Matt Barnes and Kerry Coombs as casualties of what transpired on defense last season.
