Ohio State football: Coombs’ return reflection of Ryan Day’s impact
For the better part of 27 years, the Ohio State football program has been among the elite in college football, and expect that to continue. Look at the success the Buckeyes have had during that time.
During the stretch, the Ohio State football team has won two national championships, been runner-up twice and made three College Football Playoff appearances. Add that to numerous BCS bowl wins, Big Ten titles and a run of wins over Michigan and Buckeye Nation has been blessed.
Ohio State has avoided the downfalls many other programs endured when passing the baton from an elite coach to his successor.
John Cooper handed Jim Tressel a program ready for domination. Tressel added his grit and dedication to owning Michigan while elevating Ohio State into a new level.
An NCAA violation around selling memorabilia for tattoos, a charge that just 10 years later seems incredibly absurd, set the program back just one year. Luke Fickell, one of the purist Buckeyes ever, fell on the sword and guided an imperfect team to a respectable record.
We can only imagine what would have happened if Gene Smith had accepted a bowl ban in 2011 instead of the sending the team to the hapless Gator Bowl. The Buckeyes likely would have won the national championship in Urban Meyer’s first season.
Instead, Meyer won his first 24 games, lost two of the next three and then proceeded to dominate the Big Ten.
Impressive as his record was, his greatest accomplishment may have been reshaping the image of the Big Ten.
He mandated change. Every program reluctantly had to adapt to a world of Meyer’s vision. That’s a legacy few can obtain.
Health or Ohio State’s leadership, take your pick, forced him to step down at the end of the 2018 season. Ryan Day, an outsider in terms of bleeding Scarlet and Gray from birth, seized the reigns and put a personal stamp on the program unlike any other first-year head coach.
He hired coaches who revamped an underachieving defense, landed Justin Fields and guided the team to a 13-1 record and a win over Michigan. Coach Day won a Big Ten title and a playoff berth, and with better red zone execution and a healthy Field and J.K. Dobbins his team may have played for the National Championship.
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Day lost a key assistant though. Defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hadley moved onto Boston College to take the head coaching position.
What does Day do? He convinces arguably the best secondary coach in Ohio State history to spurn his NFL gig and return to the program.
Why does this matter?
The difference between Ohio State and other programs, most notably Michigan, is development of talent. Hiring Kerry Coombs ensures Ohio State’s edge will continue.
Related Story: Welcome back Kerry Coombs
My fondest memory of speaking to Coombs came after beating Maryland in 2016. I wished him luck against Michigan. He reminded me that the team played Michigan State first, his focus is always in the right spot.
The state of Big Ten football, ranking the programs. dark. Next
How long Coombs stays is unknown, but the program just got better again. That is reason to celebrate.