Coombs knows what he wants from secondary: 'I like to recruit winners'

Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs knows what he wants.

Even after taking a two-year hiatus to coach the Tennessee Titans’ secondary, Coombs kept connections with not only his former Buckeye defense but also with a number of defensive backs he recruited in his first stint at Ohio State.

Those connections made for a very comfortable return to Columbus when Coombs was hired in January.

On Tuesday evening, he was clear about the expectations he has for starting-caliber defensive backs at Ohio State.

“I want a mentally tough guy that’s gonna line up play-in, play-out and have the confidence that his guy is not gonna get open- he’s gonna be in on-body coverage, and he’s gonna deny that reception,” Coombs said.

Coombs has certainly had success in control of putting together the Ohio State secondary- between 2014 and 2018, he produced five first-round NFL Draft picks.

One of those young backs who Coombs saw potential in was current Ohio State senior Marcus Williamson, a target of the defensive coordinator in the class of 2017. Williamson gave his coach credit for elevating his own mindset.

“Now that coach Coombs is back, it has really rejuvenated me, kind of reminded me of why we come here,” Williamson said. “We come here to win championships and get to the next level, and coach Coombs, he preaches that every day. We’ve had that relationship really since I was fifteen.”

The constant energy that Coombs provides does not go unnoticed. Williamson commented on it on multiple occasions, and Coombs was quick to credit his players’ talents and willingness to improve, saying it all comes from toughness they have had since high school.

“I think we have a lot of talent back there in the back end,” Coombs said. “It’s just young talent. It’s inexperienced talent. But that’s what happens when you have great players- we lost a bunch of really good players off of the defense, but we recruited a bunch of really good players to take their place. Guys that have been working extremely hard to have that opportunity.”

As a coach, the Cincinnati-native’s body of work speaks for itself. But his role as a recruiter has almost taken on a larger impact over the years.

During his five years as head of the secondary, 13 defensive backs rated as four-star recruits or above by Rivals committed to Ohio State, an unprecedented number for a single position group. Coombs was one of the major reasons for Ohio State’s emergence as a recruiting powerhouse.

A large part of that is knowing exactly what he wants in a player.

The attitude of taking no days off and winning every play is the key to Coombs’ success- both as a recruiter and a coach.

“More than anything, I’m looking for a gritty competitor, a kid that refuses to lose, that plays with a fearless mentality of ‘my man catches no balls,’” Coombs said. “And that’s really the mindset that we have to have play-in, play-out.”

Like Williamson mentioned, the Ohio State secondary is focused on two sequential things: winning championships and getting to the next level.

Coombs is leading the way in their efforts for both. From incoming recruit to NFL Draft pick, his outlook is simple: if you win, good things happen.

“We’re developing that mentality- I’m excited about these guys and their development of it,” Coombs said. “But that is really what I’m looking for- it's what I look for when I recruit. I like to recruit winners. I like to recruit guys that their guy doesn’t catch the ball. And if we do that, we’ve had good days.”