TicketsCINCINNATI – Cincinnati football head coach Luke Fickell announced on Tuesday the addition of assistant coach Kerry Coombs. He will serve as the Bearcats' special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach.
Coombs joins the Bearcats after serving most recently as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2020 and 2021. He also was an assistant coach at OSU from 2012 to 2017 where he developed five first-round NFL draft picks.
Coombs previously coached at Cincinnati from 2007 to 2011, overseeing defensive backs and special teams during his tenure. Additionally, he coached with the Tennessee Titans (2017-18) and had an exceptional run as the head coach at Colerain High School, his alma mater, in Cincinnati, from 1991 to 2006.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Kerry Coombs and his family back to Cincinnati and to our program," Fickell said. "Kerry has had tremendous success everywhere he has been at the high school, college and professional levels because he's an exceptional motivator and teacher of the game. Coaching with him, I've seen firsthand the positive impact Kerry can have on a program. He's an excellent special teams coach and he will do a great job developing our cornerbacks. We have made ourselves better as a program and as a T.E.A.M.!"
Coombs served as an assistant coach with Fickell at Ohio State from 2012 to 2017. He coached cornerbacks and was the special teams coordinator on the Buckeyes' national championship team in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, he coached NFL Draft first-round picks Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley and Denzel Ward. Every starting cornerback at OSU made the NFL during Coomb's six-year tenure, and the Buckeyes totaled 101 interceptions with 17 returned for touchdowns, which ranked among the nation's top two in each category during that span.
During a four-year stretch from 2014-17, Ohio State won two Big Ten titles and the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship.
Coombs coached cornerbacks with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and 2019, helping lead the team to back-to-back winning records and an appearance in the 2019 AFC Championship Game. In 2018, the Titans ranked sixth in the NFL in pass defense (216.9). In 2019, Tennessee's 14 interceptions ranked eighth in the league.
He returned to Ohio State in 2020 as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator, helping lead the team to a Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. His rushing defense (97.6) ranked sixth in the country, and the Buckeyes forced an impressive 20 turnovers in just eight games. Cornerback Shaun Wade was named a consensus All-American and the Big Ten's defensive back of the year.
Before coaching in the college and professional ranks, Coombs proved to be one of Ohio's top high school head coaches. He led Colerain High School to a 161-34 mark and 10 state playoff appearances over 16 seasons, including a 15-0 Division I state championship season in 2004.
He coached with Brian Kelly and Butch Jones at UC from 2007 to 2011, helping lead the Bearcats to the 2008 Orange Bowl and the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
Coombs is from Colerain, Ohio, and was part of Dayton's 1980 Division III football national championship team.
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Current season ticket holders have until Feb. 28 to renew their tickets for 2022. The Bearcats Ticket Office is also accepting deposits for new football season tickets here. There are less than 2,000 deposits available.
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Coombs joins the Bearcats after serving most recently as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State in 2020 and 2021. He also was an assistant coach at OSU from 2012 to 2017 where he developed five first-round NFL draft picks.
Coombs previously coached at Cincinnati from 2007 to 2011, overseeing defensive backs and special teams during his tenure. Additionally, he coached with the Tennessee Titans (2017-18) and had an exceptional run as the head coach at Colerain High School, his alma mater, in Cincinnati, from 1991 to 2006.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Kerry Coombs and his family back to Cincinnati and to our program," Fickell said. "Kerry has had tremendous success everywhere he has been at the high school, college and professional levels because he's an exceptional motivator and teacher of the game. Coaching with him, I've seen firsthand the positive impact Kerry can have on a program. He's an excellent special teams coach and he will do a great job developing our cornerbacks. We have made ourselves better as a program and as a T.E.A.M.!"
Coombs served as an assistant coach with Fickell at Ohio State from 2012 to 2017. He coached cornerbacks and was the special teams coordinator on the Buckeyes' national championship team in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, he coached NFL Draft first-round picks Bradley Roby, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley and Denzel Ward. Every starting cornerback at OSU made the NFL during Coomb's six-year tenure, and the Buckeyes totaled 101 interceptions with 17 returned for touchdowns, which ranked among the nation's top two in each category during that span.
During a four-year stretch from 2014-17, Ohio State won two Big Ten titles and the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship.
Coombs coached cornerbacks with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and 2019, helping lead the team to back-to-back winning records and an appearance in the 2019 AFC Championship Game. In 2018, the Titans ranked sixth in the NFL in pass defense (216.9). In 2019, Tennessee's 14 interceptions ranked eighth in the league.
He returned to Ohio State in 2020 as the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator, helping lead the team to a Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. His rushing defense (97.6) ranked sixth in the country, and the Buckeyes forced an impressive 20 turnovers in just eight games. Cornerback Shaun Wade was named a consensus All-American and the Big Ten's defensive back of the year.
Before coaching in the college and professional ranks, Coombs proved to be one of Ohio's top high school head coaches. He led Colerain High School to a 161-34 mark and 10 state playoff appearances over 16 seasons, including a 15-0 Division I state championship season in 2004.
He coached with Brian Kelly and Butch Jones at UC from 2007 to 2011, helping lead the Bearcats to the 2008 Orange Bowl and the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
Coombs is from Colerain, Ohio, and was part of Dayton's 1980 Division III football national championship team.
RESERVE YOUR 2022 SEASON TICKETS NOW
Current season ticket holders have until Feb. 28 to renew their tickets for 2022. The Bearcats Ticket Office is also accepting deposits for new football season tickets here. There are less than 2,000 deposits available.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.