It's looking more and more like Kerry Coombs will be the only holdover from Brian Kelly's staff to stay at UC with new coach Butch Jones.

Kelly announced today that Mike Elston - who's been with Kelly since his Central Michigan days and had handled the Bearcats special teams, tight ends and defensive line units in his time here - will join him at Notre Dame. Also, according to Brian Bennett at ESPN.com, former UC defensive coordinator Bob Diaco and receivers coach Charley Molnar are expected to be in South Bend as well.

All of that was expected.

What is slightly surprising is that apparently Tim Hinton, who was on Mark Dantonio's staff and was the only holdover to remain here for Kelly's tenure, is going to Notre Dame, as well. He's never coached outside of Ohio - he's stayed here for college and high school coaching - so there was some thought that he might stay.

The rest of Kelly's former staff, meanwhile, could follow Jeff Quinn to Buffalo. On Buffalo's web site, Ernest Jones - a former Bearcats assistant who left to be the head coach at Alcorn State for a season before returning to UC this season as the director of player services - is listed as an assistant coach along with former UC receiver Mike Daniels and former UC offensive lineman Adam Shorter.

Here's what Coombs told me last month about staying at UC to coach with Jones: "I really do mean that when I tell kids that this is the best place to go as a football player. It's not just that it's my home and where I'm from. That's too easy. The reality is it's the best place, it's got the greatest combination of all the things that are important to me and a lot of kids. Our players recognize that. You don't find a lot of guys coming down the hall and wanting to transfer. You don't find a lot of recruits jumping ship.

"This thing is going to continue to go forward in the same manner, because the foundation is built. What we have to offer is so special and we're going to continue to have great kids. That's what people forget. You win games with your players. Brian Kelly was a great football coach and he's going to be very successful at Notre Dame, but you win games with your players - how you recruit them or train them. Coaches know that. We have an exciting future at Cincinnati."