Friday's Buckeye Bits

Good Friday morning! We've got a good deal of news and stuff to talk about today, so let's get right to it.

Jordan Whiting headed back home. As Ian told you yesterday, the Kentucky-born linebacker is transferring to Louisville. After sitting this year, he'll have only one year of eligibility left to play.

He never got the playing time he expected as a four-star recruit, as he could never move up the depth chart. Despite being part of Tatgate, he seems to be a fine young player and gentleman, tweeting thanks to Coach Tressel and AD Gene Smith. Best of luck, Jordan.

Another DB coach? Yep, and again Ian's on top of it. I really need to quit my job so I can get these awesome breaking stories. Or not...Anyhow, Kerry Coombs comes north from the University of Cincinnati to fill Bill Sheridan and Taver Johnson's shoes. Coombs led Colerain High to a state championship in 2004, so he certainly knows his way around recruiting. However, considering he's the third guy to hold the DB job in about six weeks, chances are he'll be hired as a head coach somewhere in a few weeks...

Ohio State Hires Defensive Backs Coach Kerry Coombs

A fierce competitor joins Ohio State

The Columbus Dispatch and many other media outlets are reporting that Ohio State has now hired defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs. Coombs has coached defensive backs for the Cincinnati Bearcats since 2007, and has worked with some good players there, including eventual NFL draft picks Haruki Nakamura, Mike Mickens, DeAngelo Smith, and Buckeyes transfer Brandon Underwood. The 2008 secondary was a big reason why Cincinnati won its first Big East title.

Here's another reason why hiring Coombs is smart: Before Brian Kelly gave him his first college job in 2007, Coombs was an extremely successful high school coach (he won a state title in 2004) at Cincinnati's Colerain High School. In all, Coombs led Colerain to 10 playoff appearances and seven undefeated regular seasons. Also to be noted, his connections to the high schools in that city have made him a strong recruiter in that talent-rich area. 

Cincinnati should be a major pipeline for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have had more success in the northern part of the state. Coombs should give them even more recruiting inroads, making the fence that Urban is starting to rebuild around the state even larger.

As a bonus to the hiring of Coombs for his knowledge of the game, as we mentioned above he's a fantastic recruiter. The Cincinnati area has always been a tough place for Ohio State to recruit players, where they mostly go to Notre Dame. 

Now, with not Meyer having played for the Bearcats and earn his bachelor’s degree at UC, Tim Hinton spent six years on Cincinnati’s football coaching staff (2004-09) three of which coincided with Coombs’ stint there (2007-11). That's a lot of Queen City connections, so look for that to have a lot of impact in the near future.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest updates, news and opinions on Ohio State athletics.