Michigan football tabs Kerry Coombs as special teams coordinator
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Michigan football didn’t wait long to hire its next special teams coordinator.
The Wolverines have hired Kerry Coombs, a former Ohio State defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, the program announced Saturday, Dec. 6.
“Coach Kerry Coombs is a proven, exceptional football coach, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to our program,” U-M coach Sherrone Moore said in a statement. “Kerry’s leadership of our special teams will be invaluable. His expertise in teaching and mentoring has consistently shaped both outstanding athletes and remarkable young men — including some of the nation’s top special teams players and cornerbacks.
Michigan fired J.B. Brown as special teams coordinator on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
Coombs, 64, had multiple stints in Columbus, beginning in 2012 as cornerbacks coach. The next season, he added special teams duties, serving as coordinator for five seasons (2013-17), including OSU’s 2014 national title season. He returned to OSU for two years as defensive coordinator (2020-21) after a brief stint as defensive backs coach with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans (2018-19).
Coombs was the 2017 Rivals.com National Recruiter of the Year and also was named Big Ten Recruiter of the Year on three separate occasions.
In addition to his work in Columbus, Coombs has made frequent stops in Cincinnati, with a two-year stint as the Bearcats’ defensive backs coach (2007-08), followed by a three-season run as special teams coordinator and associate head coach(2009-11).
After his Ohio State run, Coombs returned to Cincinnati from 2022-24 and served as interim coach for the final month of 2022 after Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin. Coombs, a Colerain, Ohio, native, graduated from Dayton in 1983 and won a Division III title with the Flyers in 1980.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kerry Coombs hired by Michigan football as special teams coordinator
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