Detroit — Michigan special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs had three coaching opportunities late last year, but the longtime Ohio high school coach who had been part of the Ohio State and Cincinnati staffs and was well-versed in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, was drawn to the Wolverines.
He was hired last year on Dec. 6 and began preparing the special teams players for the upcoming bowl game. Four days later, head coach Sherrone Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship with his executive assistant. The program was in upheaval, and Coombs wasn’t sure what this meant for his future. Kyle Whittingham, who had been Utah’s head coach the last 21 years, was hired Dec. 26, and while Coombs was certainly familiar with him, they did not know each other and didn’t know if he’d be retained.
“It was an odd time, to say the least, and someday when I write my book, it'll have a couple of chapters,” Coombs said recently during a stop in Detroit at Horatio Williams Foundation, where he joined his fellow Michigan assistants to meet the Detroit public school football coaches. “We had made the decision to come up here, and we were excited about that, and in a span of, really, 72 hours, our world got turned upside down and had no idea what we were going to do.”
Coombs, noted for his high-energy, positive approach, coached the bowl game, and it was the best overall performance by Michigan’s special teams all season. He had leaned on his faith while weighing his three professional options, and that, ultimately, led him to Ann Arbor.
“I was praying that God would put me where I was needed and where I would be happy, and so I think this is where I was needed,” Coombs said. “I felt like I helped fill a void in that situation. The thing that I learned about the kids here, these are great kids, and they were hurting. It was hard for them, and they didn't know me from a goat, but at least because I've been around and raised my own and have grandkids, I can at least be empathetic to their situation.
“I think that was the original purpose, and now I'm really happy. I was so uncertain for that whole month of December whether I'd be back, not back. I didn’t know a lot of these guys, but they are phenomenal men, and I am so fortunate to be coaching with them. And so, God knows and does put you in the right spot.”
Whittingham retained Coombs, running backs coach Tony Alford and defensive line coach Lou Esposito, who then left to take a position with the Baltimore Ravens. Before spring practice, Whittingham admitted he still didn’t know Coombs well but was looking forward to building that relationship. Later in spring practice, Whittingham heaped praise on his special teams coordinator.
“Energetic guy,” Whittingham said of Coombs. “Terrific addition for our staff and he has got a lot of juice, a lot of passion for what he’s doing. I’ve got no doubt that we’ll be very solid on special teams with him running the show.”
Coombs, 64, began coaching high school football in his hometown of Cincinnati in 1983. He became the Loveland High head coach in 1989 and then took over his alma mater, Colerain, in 1991 and held that position for 16 years. He also has had NFL experience with the Tennessee Titans and then a couple of stops at the University of Cincinnati and also two stops at Ohio State, where he was defensive coordinator in 2020-2021 and before that, was cornerbacks coach from 2013-2017.
“I love what I do,” Coombs said. “I’ve never worked a day in my life. Played a game with boys for a long, long time, but you appreciate it. Not many people get to do that, so I'm blessed.”
Coombs knew there might be some friction with those in Ohio when he took the Michigan job. Alford also had coached at Ohio State before joining Michigan’s staff, Michigan linebackers coach Al Washington joined OSU’s staff, and Greg Mattison left the Wolverines as defensive coordinator to take the same job at OSU. Movement between the two rivals isn’t unique, but it clearly isn’t a frequent occurrence.
What makes it a bit more challenging for Coombs, who is still living in a hotel in Ann Arbor, is that he still maintains a home in Cincinnati. His wife, Holly, is there taking care of her mother, she goes back often, and he’s always wearing his Michigan-issue apparel.
“Oh, yeah, I wear it every day,” he said.
He has endured some tough comments, but understands it’s part of the job because of his Ohio roots and his time as part of OSU’s staff.
“When I go home, it's interesting to me the brashness of people, complete strangers, that will walk up to you and say, ‘Traitor’ and things that are kind of hateful. They mean it. They’re angry. I appreciate the rivalry because people are so passionate about it. It wouldn't be a rivalry if they weren't.
“But it is, at times, uncomfortable, and at the same time, you know they love their team. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I loved it when I coached there, I did. I don't have anything negative to say about but, and not very many people get to coach on both sides of this rivalry. Michigan is legitimately one of the top five programs in the country. How many guys can say that they've coached at two of those? That's a small group. I'm grateful that I have this opportunity.”
Coombs loves the fact Whittingham coached special teams during his career. Whittingham handled linebackers and special teams at Idaho State (1988-1991) and always has stressed the importance of this phase of the game.
“He knows what he's talking about,” Coombs said of Whittingham. “I've learned from him in these four months. We're better. I'm better as a coach than I was in December, and we're better as a result of that.”
The players said Whittingham’s spring practices were run efficiently with no wasted time. That’s how Coombs operates, and he overhauled the way special teams practice sessions and meetings are run. He said he stressed fundamentals, simplified schemes and shortened meetings.
Coombs also landed several transfers to bolster the room. Australian punter Cameron Brown recently arrived in Ann Arbor from UNLV and begins classes this month, and he also added long snappers Nico Crawford and Gavin Magorien, and also kicker Trey Butkowski.
“More than that, though, I love the way that the position players have embraced special teams, and that will make us better,” Coombs said. “It's where fundamentals are taught to the team, and these kids have embraced it, because most nobody came to Michigan to be the right guard on punt, but somebody's got to be the right guard on punt. So now you're taking a really good player, a highly recruited kid, and you're saying, ‘OK, now you do this job.’ If they're not motivated to do it, and they're not excited about it, they’re not gonna do very well. No doubt about that. There's seven guys on every NFL roster that only do special teams, and people forget that’s so important. But I like this group. I like it a lot.”
achengelis@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan Wolverines' Kerry Coombs weathers job chaos, rivalry jabs
