In the aftermath of firing special teams coach J.B. Brown, which was deserved for on-field performance, Michigan hired former Ohio State defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator to be the special teams coordinator.
Coombs is 64 years old and spent time coaching high school in Ohio before going to Cincinnati in 2007 as a defensive backs coach. He would go on to work at Ohio State from 2012-2017 and 2020-2021, with the 2018-2019 seasons spent with the Tennessee Titans coaching the secondary under former Ohio State player Mike Vrabel. Coombs went back to Cincinnati from 2022-2024 and coached cornerbacks and special teams before taking a year off in 2025.
I am not enthused about this hire. I think Coombs has been a solid defensive backs coach and a very good recruiter, and that's about it. He has not been impressive as a coordinator of defense or special teams. Unfortunately, he will not be coaching defensive backs and I'm not sure how much he'll be involved in recruiting, so his two biggest strengths seem to be somewhat negated. I do think he'll be a step up from Brown, but this isn't the kind of hire that really moves the needle very much.
Coombs was Ohio State's ace recruiter if they wanted to poach a player from the state of Michigan, which he did when he recruited running back Mikey Weber and offensive linemen Michael Jordan and Joshua Alabi.
Fun fact: Coombs's son Brayden was the special teams coach for the Detroit Lions in 2020 but was fired for calling a fake punt without authorization from interim head coach Darrell Bevell.
Now I know some Michigan fans will not like the hire because Coombs coached at Ohio State, but I think Coombs is a solid staff addition. I've seen him talk before, and this press conference speech is a pretty good one to represent how he handles himself:
Why does a photo from 1997 look like 1967?!
ReplyDelete"... was fired for calling a fake punt without authorization from interim head coach Darrell Bevell"
ReplyDeleteInquiring minds want to know: was the fake punt successful? I realize it does not take away from the offense of doing something not authorized, but I am curious if his gamble paid off, at least within the game.
Coombs -- what in the world might explain Moore's hiring Coombs? You're not the only one on the interwebz expressing either disappointment or puzzlement at this hire. Surely there are up-and-coming coaches in the DII ranks, or lower D1 schools, that would *love* a chance to break into the bigger times with Michigan. It almost seems like Moore settled for Coombs, but the question is why? Just to get this problem off his plate so he could focus elsewhere?
The punt fake was unsuccessful.
DeleteOkay, I get the Kerry Coombs hire. It's not the worst hire ever. I think J.B. Brown was in over his head as a relatively young coach, and it seems like the credit for the excellent special teams under Jim Harbaugh was all/mostly Jay Harbaugh and not at all J.B. Brown.
I think the hiring of Coombs may represent a correction (perhaps an overcorrection) to get a detail-oriented, veteran coach who can handle his duties. I don't think Coombs is going to need anyone to help him figure things out. Now maybe his special teams won't be super dynamic, but I don't think they will be as wonky.
I think Michigan went with an up-and-comer in Brown and got burned, so now they're going in a different direction.
Ah ... so a details-oriented guy who handles his duty is akin to my "get this problem off my plate" sort of thing. I can see that.
DeleteI spent many years in the world of business, and it was my observation that "work flowed to the competent." That is, those who were good at getting things done with a minimum of management involvement tended to get more work. Those who weren't as good, and bothered management too much about what to do, didn't get much work. It makes good sense: managers are busy with a lot of things. To have someone who the manager trusts to get the job done and not call him unless necessary is a real asset. Heck, I made my career on that. Did very well.
I mentored young people, and my #1 message was: "Don't make your manager's job harder than it is." It always astonished me how some people thought it their duty to pester and bug their manager to death.
DeleteIf Coombs can take the whole Special Teams thing on and make it run reasonably well without too much involvement by Moore, then mission accomplished. Good results, low variance ... a win.
Why wouldn't he be involved in recruiting? I had assumed that would be where he adds the most value.
ReplyDeleteMichigan can only put so many coaches on the road, and since Coombs won't be recruiting a position (other than perhaps specialists), I'm not sure it would behoove the staff to have him out on the road. Generally, you want position coaches out recruiting the players at their position groups.
DeleteNow if you get a kid on campus from Ohio, maybe you make it a point to have Coombs make some connections. But if you're recruiting an offensive guard from Texas...I don't think Coombs helps much.
In another thread you mentioned how starting with 2025, the number of coaches is not without caps. But coaches on the road recruiting still has limits, huh? I'm pretty sure the practice hours with coaches are limited, but is time with other staff also limited? For S&C I don't think it is. How about a punt specialist with an analyst title ... could they work with the punter pretty much all the time?
Delete... is not capped. My fingers type beyond what my brain says.
DeleteThe number of coaches who can be "on the road" during recruiting periods is still capped at 11, I believe. There are times during transition periods where an analyst or assistant to the assistant can go out recruiting as long as they pass recruiting certification tests; that way if your OL coach takes another job and you spend two weeks finding a new OL coach, some analyst or assistant LB coach can go out and recruit in the meantime.
DeleteTime with coaches is limited, and that includes analysts, AFAIK. In other words, only S&C staff, trainers, academic support, and nutrition staff do not have limits (as far as I know). An analyst who serves as a coach on the practice field does not have unlimited access to a player for training.
Speaking of former OSU guys that coach special teams. Next time Urban maybe?
ReplyDelete