The Ohio State Buckeyes football program has, as expected, brought back a familiar coaching face.
Speculation has been growing of late that Ryan Day would be adding Kerry Coombs to his OSU staff. Monday afternoon, the Buckeyes confirmed that Coombs has indeed returned to the program as defensive coordinator.
Coombs will replace Jeff Hafley, who left last month to become the head coach at Boston College.
In January of 2018, Coombs left OSU to take a job with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Prior to that, he was on Urban Meyer‘s staff for six seasons.
“Kerry Coombs is the coach I was really hoping we could hire and bring back to Ohio State,” the Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach said in a statement. “He is an excellent coach and he has had two outstanding seasons in the NFL on Mike Vrabel’s staff with the Tennessee Titans.
“I’ve spent a season on staff with Kerry and I really like his coaching and knowledge of the game, but I also like that he knows Ohio State and he knows how to recruit to Ohio State. He’s recruited some of the players currently on the team and he coached a handful of Buckeye defensive backs who went on to become first-round NFL draft picks.”
All six seasons he was at OSU, Coombs was cornerbacks coach. He was promoted in 2017 to assistant coordinator, defense. He was also special teams coordinator from 2013-17.
Five corners who had Coombs as their position coach -- Eli Apple, Gareon Conley, Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby and Denzel Ward -- went on to become first-round NFL draft picks.
Coombs, a longtime Ohioan, spent the past two seasons as the Titans’ cornerbacks coach.
This will mark the 58-year-old Coombs’ first job as defensive coordinator at any level of football.
