Kent State Hall of Famer Josh Cribbs Returns Home as Special Teams Analyst
4/29/2026 9:59:00 AM | Football
Kent State Sports Hall of Famer, Three-Time Pro Bowler, and Cleveland Browns Legend Returns to Kent State
KENT, Ohio — Kent State University football has added one of the most accomplished players in the history of both the program and the National Football League to its coaching staff, naming Josh Cribbs as a special teams analyst for the 2026 season, head coach Mark Carney announced today.
Cribbs, who starred for the Golden Flashes from 2001–04 before a ten-year NFL career spent primarily with the Cleveland Browns, returns to the university where his name stars in the record book and his jersey is retired. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro honoree, member of the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s, and a Cleveland Browns Legend, an honor bestowed upon him in 2020, Cribbs brings a wealth of elite-level experience and firsthand expertise to a Kent State program looking to build on recent momentum heading into the 2026 campaign.
"Over the past year, I've had the chance to get to know Coach Josh Cribbs and have been blown away by his desire to share his wealth of knowledge built from his outstanding playing career here at Kent State and in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns," said Carney. "His pride in our university and his experience here as a student-athlete is apparent in every conversation we've had. I'm excited to welcome him and his family back to the university as our new special teams analyst, and I am certain this is a sign of the exciting times ahead for us here at Kent State!"
A Golden Flashes Legend
Few players in the history of Kent State athletics have left the kind of mark that Cribbs did during his four seasons in a Golden Flashes uniform. Lining up at quarterback, Cribbs rewrote the program's record books in ways that remain unmatched more than two decades later. He finished his collegiate career as the all-time total offense leader with 10,839 yards. He's also the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (38) and touchdowns (41). When he left the Flashes, he was also the all-time leader in completions (616), attempts (1,123), passing yards (7,169), and points (246).
Cribbs' production placed him in an extraordinary national company. He became one of only two true freshmen in NCAA history to both rush and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season. He accomplished the dual 1,000-yard feat in two separate seasons, placing him among only eight players in NCAA history to achieve it more than once. He also stands as one of only four quarterbacks in NCAA history to rush for 3,500 yards and throw for 7,000 yards in a career. Perhaps most impressively, Cribbs remains the only player in NCAA history to lead his team in both rushing and passing in four different seasons.
In recognition of those achievements and his lasting impact on Golden Flashes football, Kent State retired Cribbs' No. 9 jersey, and he was inducted into the Kent State Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. He is among the most celebrated athletes in the university's history across all sports.
An NFL Career Built on Electrifying Returns
Cribbs entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent signed by the Cleveland Browns in April 2005. Cribbs averaged 24.5 yards per kickoff return as a rookie, setting a Browns franchise record for return yardage in a season, a record he broke the following year. By the end of his career, he had rewritten the franchise's special teams record book entirely. He holds Cleveland's all-time marks for career kickoff return yards (10,015), combined kickoff and punt return yards (12,169), all-purpose yards (14,065), most kickoff return yards in a single season (1,809 in 2007), most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season (three in 2009), and most all-purpose yards in a single season (2,510 in 2009).
His ability to change games in an instant made him one of the most feared return men of his era. Cribbs returned eight kickoffs and three punts for touchdowns during his NFL career, and holds the distinction of recording two kickoff return touchdowns of 100 yards or more in a single game, an NFL record he shares with Ted Ginn Jr. His longest kickoff return went 103 yards.
Cribbs was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2007, 2009, and 2012 seasons, earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2009, and was voted onto the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s by a panel recognizing the best players of that era. Following his time with the Browns, Cribbs played for the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. He retired as a Cleveland Brown on March 22, 2017. In 2020, the Browns formally inducted him as a Cleveland Browns Legend, cementing his place in the franchise's storied history.
Bringing Expertise Back to Kent
In his role as special teams analyst, Cribbs will work closely with Kent State's special teams units, including two of the most dangerous kick returners in the nation in kick returner Da'Realyst Clark and punt returner Wayne Harris.
The Flashes open the season at South Carolina on September 5, and return home the following week for the home-opener versus Wofford on September 12. Season tickets for the 2026 season are available now at KSUtix.com.
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