After Ohio State parted ways with Coombs on Jan. 13 following two seasons as the program's defensive coordinator, his second coaching stint with the Buckeyes, Cincinnati is expected to hire Coombs as the program's new cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator, per a report by ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Coombs was an assistant coach for the Bearcats from 2007-11 before joining the Buckeye staff in 2012, and the Colerain, Ohio, native also spent more than two decades as a high school football coach in Cincinnati.

Ohio State hired former Cincinnati cornerbacks coach Perry Eliano last week, which created the opening on Luke Fickell's defensive coaching staff. The Bearcats received their first-ever berth in the College Football Playoff this past season, losing to Alabama in their semifinal matchup, but finished the season with a top 10 defense in most statistical categories.

Coombs was stripped of his defensive play calling duties after the Buckeyes' early season loss to Oregon, and Ohio State finished the 2021 season with the No. 59 total defense in the country, ranking 96th against the pass.