Cincinnati Bearcats Football: Coaching Staff Continues to Fluctuate

The Cincinnati Bearcats will not only have to replace some integral defensive players from last season's team, they will now also have to deal with the departure of two defensive coaches that were instrumental in their success last season.

Just last week defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator/associate head coach Kerry Coombs left to coach cornerbacks and be an assistant head coach at The Ohio State University.

Coombs is a big loss for Cincinnati because of the enthusiasm and intensity he brings to every practice and game.

He is a local guy who has spent his entire 50-year life in Cincinnati and certainly helped recruit along the local trail.

That passion for the game will definitely be missed in 2012 and beyond for the Bearcats.

He is the second coach on the defensive side of the ball Cincinnati has had to replace this offseason.

Co-defensive coordinator Tim Banks left to take over the defensive coordinator position at Illinois this offseason and while he was listed as co-defensive coordinator, for all intents and purposes, Banks was calling the shots last season.

Cincinnati has started to find replacements. Fellow co-defensive coordinator John Jancek will be the lone defensive coordinator this season and be calling all the shots. He will also be assistant head coach.

Steve Stripling who served last season as the defensive line coach will now also take on the responsibility of defensive run game coordinator.

The Bearcats have brought in Roy Manning who was a graduate assistant last season at Michigan to coach the outside linebackers.

While Banks served as the defensive coordinator, replacing Coombs may be more difficult because of what he brought to the program.

Who his replacement will be is unsure, but he will have a hard time living up to the intensity of Coombs.