After successfully warding off new Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel from plucking Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day from Urban Meyer’s Ohio State staff, it appears as though Meyer was not so fortunate in keeping the former Buckeye defensive end from luring OSU cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs to the NFL.
Source: OSU DB coach Kerry Coombs is leaving for the Tennessee Titans. He worked with Mike Vrabel at OSU.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 24, 2018
Ohio State has not yet confirmed the news, but a source close to the situation told The-Ozone that Coombs has told the players of his decision to leave.
The loss would be significant for the Buckeyes. Coombs was hired in 2012 by Meyer and since his arrival he has produced a first round NFL draft pick or First-Team All-Big Ten selection each season at Ohio State. No team has produced more first-round draft picks at cornerback than Coombs and Ohio State since 2012.
Not only has Coombs been arguably the best developer of cornerback talent in college football, he is also one of the nation’s best recruiters. His departure will be difficult to fill and Urban Meyer’s decision on how to replace him will carry a significant impact on the Ohio State defense moving forward.
This is the second year in a row that Coombs was sought after by a former Buckeye. Last year, Luke Fickell wanted to take him with him to the University of Cincinnati, but Meyer was able to keep Coombs at OSU. This time, however, it doesn’t appear as though he will be successful in keeping Coombs from heading off to another coaching job.
We will have more on this as the situation develops.