As they say, life comes full circle.
Coach Kerry Coombs is no stranger to the City of Cincinnati. The veteran defensive back coach had high school stints with Lakota, Loveland and most notably Colerain.
His Success at Colerain led to a job at Cincinnati where he coached defensive backs from 2007-2008 and eventually was named Assistant Head Coach in 2009. Ten plus years later, the Cincinnati staple returns.
Coombs' coaching career has remained steady in the Midwest. With stops at Ohio State and the Tennessee Titans, the 60-year old Dayton grad is energized as ever to be fully back in the red and black.
"It's fantastic being back at Cincinnati," Combs said. "I'm very familiar with everything and everybody. It's fantastic coming back to a winning program that is playing so hard and so well. To me, it's more than location. It's about what is going on here. I'm just really excited to be a Bearcat."
With years of experience as a defensive back coach and special team's coordinator, Coombs doesn't expect to miss a beat at Cincinnati.
"It's a different defense. It's not a different role. I've been coaching defensive backs and specials teams for a long, long time. I love this defense. I love being a part of it. I really enjoy working with the defensive staff. The players are a lot of fun to coach."
A Cincinnati native, Coombs kept an eye on the Bearcats 2021 success. He is up to the challenge to replace the likes of Sauce Gardner, Coby Bryant, among others.
"I've been coaching a long time where we have been replacing a lot of really good players. The good news here is the talent is not bear. These kids have been waiting their turn and are chomping at the bit. I'm excited to watch them play."
Many considered Coombs a leading candidate for the Cincinnati's opening after the departure of Tommy Tuberville. Partially due to the fact that he is one of the best recruiters in the entire country.
"Cincinnati is an easy place to recruit. You got a winning program, an incredible fan base, one of the toughest stadiums in the country to play at. We have a great University and a great town. I'm going to be honest with you, it's my town. I feel like I can speak about that with kids all over the country. To me, it's an easy recruit. You just have to find the right guys and tell them what's waiting for them here."
Despite being away from the area, Coombs connections are as strong as ever in the Tri-State.
"There's tons of coaches I still keep in contact within Cincinnati. Guys who coached for me, against me. Cincinnati high school football is as good as anywhere in the country. There are two reasons why, because Cincinnati people are really tough, and they love football. High School coaches (in Cincinnati) are really good and serious about what they do. I have tremendous respect for so many of those guys; the guys that beat me and they guys that I learned a lot of ball from. This is a unique football town"
Along with the defensive backs, Coach Coombs will also oversee special teams.
"I'm really excited about our punter who's a returning veteran. He had a great year.," Coombs said, in regard to Mason Fletcher. "I'm fired up about Ryan Coe as a kicker. He came in and had a really good spring. He's started camp very well. I'm really looking forward to him playing."
"The thing about Cincinnati is we make special teams a priority. Every kid in that Lockeroom knows if you're not playing special teams, you're not playing offense or defense."
Coombs is, without a doubt, the most well-known assistant for Cincinnati natives. After a 10 plus year hiatus, the Cincinnati Bearcats will finally have a homecoming for someone who helped build the program.
