Ohio State Football: Kerry Coombs still has high value on the staff

It hasn’t been the easiest of seasons for Kerry Coombs. He started off the year as the sole defensive coordinator for the Ohio State football team. He’s now been relegated to the booth upstairs and isn’t calling plays on that side of the ball anymore.

Even so, Coombs has an incredibly high value on the staff, specifically as a recruiter. That is underscored by Ohio State’s most recent commit Sonny Styles. Styles is a top-10 recruit in the country for the class of 2023 as a 5-star safety. Coombs is who locked him down.

Styles is someone who can come in and play right away. Without Josh Proctor, the Buckeyes have struggled mightily at safety this year. Proctor will likely be back next year with a medical redshirt, but they’ll need someone in 2023. That someone will likely be Styles.

Coombs has excellent ties to everywhere in the state of Ohio. He uses those ties to grab the best members of the secondary in the state. Styles is just that, as he is the best player in the state out of Pickerington. He is the real deal at safety and is just another one in a long list of great prospects Coombs has brought in.

While I don’t think Coombs is built to stay on as defensive coordinator to call plays, Coombs is vitally important to the Ohio State football program as a recruiter. It would be wise of Ryan Day to do everything he can to keep Coombs on staff in some capacity when the season ends.

Coombs loves this university and the city of Columbus. While his personal pride was wounded when he got demoted, his love for the university might outweigh that. I think he likely stays on staff in some capacity, most likely because another school won’t give him the ability to call plays.

Either way, that would be a big win for the Buckeyes. Coombs is a great man and his players love playing for him.