Saturday evening, three days after the Michigan football team dismissed JB Brown as special teams coordinator, the Wolverines hired his replacement in Kerry Coombs as special teams coordinator. Coombs, 64, brings a wealth of coaching experience at the high school, Big Ten and even NFL levels.

Most notably, Coombs coached at Ohio State from 2012-17 (cornerbacks and special teams), the Tennessee Titans (defensive backs) from 2018-19, then was the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator from 2020-21. He has been in the coaching profession since 1983, compiling a 161-34 record as a high school football coach in Ohio. He also coached at Cincinnati as a defensive backs coach, cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator from 2007-11 and 2022-24.

“Coach Kerry Coombs is a proven, exceptional football coach, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to our program,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said in a press release. “Kerry’s leadership of our special teams will be invaluable. His expertise in teaching and mentoring has consistently shaped both outstanding athletes and remarkable young men—including some of the nation’s top special teams players and cornerbacks. We’re proud to have Kerry, Holly, and their family join the Michigan Football family.”

A native of Colerain, Ohio that played for Dayton, Coombs also spent the first 34 years of his career coaching in the state of Ohio. That should help Michigan in its recruiting of the Buckeye state, as Coombs has been the primary recruiter for 24 Top247 prospects, 13 of which were top-100 recruits. 

As a special teams coordinator, Coombs brings 11 seasons of special teams coordinator experience to Ann Arbor. He’ll take over a unit that struggled on special teams this fall, ranking 109th in field-goal percentage, 127th in average punt-return yardage, 125th in average kickoff return yardage and 98th in net punting yardage. The Wolverines’ special teams woes may not have made the difference in their losses to Oklahoma, USC and Ohio State, but they did not help, and did keep many of Michigan’s nine wins closer.

“After thoroughly evaluating our special teams’ performance throughout the season, I made the decision to make a change that was in the best interest of the program,” Moore said in a release earlier this week. 

Though Michigan is evaluating its coaching staff and preparing for the Transfer Portal window that begins Jan. 2, the Wolverines are also preparing for their bowl game, likely to be the Citrus Bowl in Orlando Dec. 31.