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Michigan special teams coach Kerry Coombs faced job uncertainty after being hired amid coaching upheaval. His future was uncertain following the firing of head coach Sherrone Moore just days after his hiring.
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Detroit â Michigan special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs had three coaching opportunities late last year, but the longtime Ohio high school coach who had been part of the Ohio State and Cincinnati staffs and was well-versed in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, was drawn to the Wolverines.
He was hired last year on Dec. 6 and began preparing the special teams players for the upcoming bowl game. Four days later, head coach Sherrone Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship with his executive assistant. The program was in upheaval, and Coombs wasnât sure what this meant for his future. Kyle Whittingham, who had been Utahâs head coach the last 21 years, was hired Dec. 26, and while Coombs was certainly familiar with him, they did not know each other and didnât know if heâd be retained.
Michigan special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs and players gather on the field after the Maize vs. Blue spring game last month at Michigan Stadium.
âIt was an odd time, to say the least, and someday when I write my book, it'll have a couple of chapters,â Coombs said recently during a stop in Detroit at Horatio Williams Foundation, where he joined his fellow Michigan assistants to meet the Detroit public school football coaches. âWe had made the decision to come up here, and we were excited about that, and in a span of, really, 72 hours, our world got turned upside down and had no idea what we were going to do.â
Kerry Coombs faced uncertainty after head coach Sherrone Moore was fired just days after Coombs was hired, leaving the program in chaos.
Kerry Coombs was hired on December 6, 2025.
Kyle Whittingham, former head coach at Utah, was hired as Michigan's head coach on December 26, 2025.
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Coombs, noted for his high-energy, positive approach, coached the bowl game, and it was the best overall performance by Michiganâs special teams all season. He had leaned on his faith while weighing his three professional options, and that, ultimately, led him to Ann Arbor.
âI was praying that God would put me where I was needed and where I would be happy, and so I think this is where I was needed,â Coombs said. âI felt like I helped fill a void in that situation. The thing that I learned about the kids here, these are great kids, and they were hurting. It was hard for them, and they didn't know me from a goat, but at least because I've been around and raised my own and have grandkids, I can at least be empathetic to their situation.
âI think that was the original purpose, and now I'm really happy. I was so uncertain for that whole month of December whether I'd be back, not back. I didnât know a lot of these guys, but they are phenomenal men, and I am so fortunate to be coaching with them. And so, God knows and does put you in the right spot.â
Whittingham retained Coombs, running backs coach Tony Alford and defensive line coach Lou Esposito, who then left to take a position with the Baltimore Ravens. Before spring practice, Whittingham admitted he still didnât know Coombs well but was looking forward to building that relationship. Later in spring practice, Whittingham heaped praise on his special teams coordinator.
âEnergetic guy,â Whittingham said of Coombs. âTerrific addition for our staff and he has got a lot of juice, a lot of passion for what heâs doing. Iâve got no doubt that weâll be very solid on special teams with him running the show.â
Coombs, 64, began coaching high school football in his hometown of Cincinnati in 1983. He became the Loveland High head coach in 1989 and then took over his alma mater, Colerain, in 1991 and held that position for 16 years. He also has had NFL experience with the Tennessee Titans and then a couple of stops at the University of Cincinnati and also two stops at Ohio State, where he was defensive coordinator in 2020-2021 and before that, was cornerbacks coach from 2013-2017.
âI love what I do,â Coombs said. âIâve never worked a day in my life. Played a game with boys for a long, long time, but you appreciate it. Not many people get to do that, so I'm blessed.â
Coombs knew there might be some friction with those in Ohio when he took the Michigan job. Alford also had coached at Ohio State before joining Michiganâs staff, Michigan linebackers coach Al Washington joined OSUâs staff, and Greg Mattison left the Wolverines as defensive coordinator to take the same job at OSU. Movement between the two rivals isnât unique, but it clearly isnât a frequent occurrence.
What makes it a bit more challenging for Coombs, who is still living in a hotel in Ann Arbor, is that he still maintains a home in Cincinnati. His wife, Holly, is there taking care of her mother, she goes back often, and heâs always wearing his Michigan-issue apparel.
âOh, yeah, I wear it every day,â he said.
He has endured some tough comments, but understands itâs part of the job because of his Ohio roots and his time as part of OSUâs staff.
âWhen I go home, it's interesting to me the brashness of people, complete strangers, that will walk up to you and say, âTraitorâ and things that are kind of hateful. They mean it. Theyâre angry. I appreciate the rivalry because people are so passionate about it. It wouldn't be a rivalry if they weren't.
âBut it is, at times, uncomfortable, and at the same time, you know they love their team. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I loved it when I coached there, I did. I don't have anything negative to say about but, and not very many people get to coach on both sides of this rivalry. Michigan is legitimately one of the top five programs in the country. How many guys can say that they've coached at two of those? That's a small group. I'm grateful that I have this opportunity.â
Coombs loves the fact Whittingham coached special teams during his career. Whittingham handled linebackers and special teams at Idaho State (1988-1991) and always has stressed the importance of this phase of the game.
âHe knows what he's talking about,â Coombs said of Whittingham. âI've learned from him in these four months. We're better. I'm better as a coach than I was in December, and we're better as a result of that.â
The players said Whittinghamâs spring practices were run efficiently with no wasted time. Thatâs how Coombs operates, and he overhauled the way special teams practice sessions and meetings are run. He said he stressed fundamentals, simplified schemes and shortened meetings.
Coombs also landed several transfers to bolster the room. Australian punter Cameron Brown recently arrived in Ann Arbor from UNLV and begins classes this month, and he also added long snappers Nico Crawford and Gavin Magorien, and also kicker Trey Butkowski.
âMore than that, though, I love the way that the position players have embraced special teams, and that will make us better,â Coombs said. âIt's where fundamentals are taught to the team, and these kids have embraced it, because most nobody came to Michigan to be the right guard on punt, but somebody's got to be the right guard on punt. So now you're taking a really good player, a highly recruited kid, and you're saying, âOK, now you do this job.â If they're not motivated to do it, and they're not excited about it, theyâre not gonna do very well. No doubt about that. There's seven guys on every NFL roster that only do special teams, and people forget thatâs so important. But I like this group. I like it a lot.â
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan Wolverines' Kerry Coombs weathers job chaos, rivalry jabs