"It is harder to recruit because, one, they’re in a BCS conference, and two, their facilities are a lot better than our facilities," Haywood said. "We still recruit the same individuals but we have a really hard time recruiting against them in the Cincinnati area. Coach Coombs has done a tremendous job with his previous relationships in recruiting that area."
Kerry Coombs has been the target of quite a lot of criticism among UC fans this season. There was a pretty memorable meltdown on the scout site's message board calling for his head in the wake of the NC State game. Some of the criticisms of him have been misjudged, that he brings no value what so ever to the table for example others, accusing him of trotting out overly simple coverage schemes in the back end are a little closer to the mark. But his primary value is, and will remain, his ability to recruit. That was the ideological backing behind his hiring in December of 2006.
We feel very fortunate to have Kerry Coombs joining the University of Cincinnati football program," stated new UC head coach Brian Kelly. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our staff. Kerry has a strong presence in Southwest Ohio and throughout the state. We also have a shared philosophy regarding player development.
(emphasis added)
Brian Kelly came to Cincinnati with a lot of things in his back pocket. A proven, Championship winning offensive system, an admirable attention to detail and an ego so large it came equipped with four large moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. What he didn't bring with him was any discernible recruiting ties to Southwestern Ohio. That's why he hired Coombs, and he has done his job very, very well. I discussed at length the undeniable positive impact Coombs has had on UC's recruiting on my old site. So keep in your mind the next time you see a blown assignment and desire to throw a brick or something less spontaneously destructive through your TV that, in many cases the man who didn't teach the kid not to blow that coverage is the reason the kid is at the school in the first place.
