The Tennessee Titans could be losing a key member of their coaching staff after this season.
The Tennessee Titans have dealt with losses to the secondary on the field all season, but now they might take a hit on the sideline in 2020.
According to Letterman Row’s Austin Ward, Titans secondary coach Kerry Coombs has emerged as a top candidate for Ohio State’s soon-to-be vacant co-defensive coordinator position.
"The top target for the Buckeyes: Kerry Coombs. The former Ohio State cornerbacks coach left the program to try his hand in the NFL, and he’s continued to have a positive impact with the Tennessee Titans. The option to return is almost certainly going to be up to Coombs, with Ohio State prepared to make a significant financial offer and already working behind the scenes to see if it’s possible for him to make recruiting calls while still with the Titans and while Hafley finishes out his duties in the postseason."
Jeff Hafley, who was Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator this season, accepted a head coaching position at Boston College, leaving the Buckeyes without a defensive coordinator for next year.
Coombs, who has 35 years of coaching experience under his belt, is a familiar face to Columbus, having been Ohio State’s cornerbacks coach from 2012 to 2017 before joining the Titans’ staff in 2018.
During his time at Ohio State, he helped develop multiple cornerbacks who ended up being drafted in the NFL including Denzel Ward, Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley, Eli Apple, and Bradley Roby, all of whom were selected in the first round.
In fact, every Ohio State cornerback that started under Coombs has ended up in the NFL.
He was promoted to being the assistant defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator in 2017 before joining head coach Mike Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee in 2018.
The Titans secondary developed into one of the more fearsome units in the league over the past two seasons, ranking sixth in the NFL in passing defense. His departure could have a negative impact on the unit as a whole.
Coombs has not spoken about his interest in the job as of yet, but with Ohio State wanting Coombs to make recruiting calls while the Titans are currently in the midst of a possible playoff push, it is unlikely that he would be able to take the position while still being responsible for coaching the Titans’ secondary.
Regardless of anything, Coombs will absolutely be missed if he decides to take the job at Ohio State.