Michigan didn’t waste any time landing on a replacement for former co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist. Sources have informed The Michigan Insider that Kentucky defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale has accepted an offer to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff in the dual roles left vacant by Linguists’ departure.
Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but sources tell TMI Clinkscale agreed to a three-year deal to be the pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach, with the opportunity to be promoted to co-defensive coordinator in years two and three.
Clinkscale’s move to Ann Arbor is the culmination of a two-year dalliance with Wolverine job openings. He was previously in the running for the vacant secondary post in the past two prior hiring cycles. He spoke with Harbaugh both times about the opportunity but was never offered the job. That prior familiarity combined with Clinkscale’s strong resume paved the way for his hire to be wrapped up in three short days.
In 2019 “Clink” headed up a secondary that helped limit opponents to 167.8 yards per game in 2019, good for no. 3 in the country. And that was after losing corner Lonnie Johnson and safety Mike Edwards to the 2019 NFL draft in the second and third rounds respectively. Those weren’t the only losses the Wildcat secondary faced the following season. Clinkscale wound up being tasked with replacing his top six defensive backs. He did so in a rousing fashion according to his profile on ukathletics.com.
“The young UK secondary responded with a remarkable performance, ranking second in the nation in fewest touchdown passes allowed (9) and third nationally in passing yards allowed per game (167.8). UK advanced to its fourth straight bowl game, defeating Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl.”
Clinkscale’s crew picked up right where it left off in 2020, which eventually led to more draft success. Two additional Wildcat defensive backs were added to the ledger last month when Kelvin Joseph was selected in the second round, and Brandin Echols was selected in the sixth.
Back in December Al.com recognized Clinkscale both for his talent as a developer and as a recruiter.
“Led by Clinkscale’s secondary, the Wildcats’ defense has limited opponents to an average of 232.9 passing yards per game. (edt note: Kentucky finished as the SEC’s leader in passing defense at 224.6 yards per game and ranked third in pass efficiency defense). It’s the latest standout work from Clinkscale, who also led the way for Kentucky’s 2020 recruiting class that ranked 25th-best nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Clinkscale, one of five Youngstown, Ohio natives on the Wildcats’ staff, was a lead recruiter on four of the top six ranked players in the Wildcats’ 2020 class.”
Clinkscale’s prowess as a recruiter is another major selling point. He comes to Michigan with strong connections already established in the state. In 2020 he grabbed five-star lineman Justin Rogers out of Oak Park, beat Michigan State for Beecher WR/athlete Earnest Sanders, and had the Wildcats at the finish line for Michigan commit Makari Paige.
In the current cycle he was the first coach to offer top Michigan cornerback target Myles Pollard, had a commitment from recent Michigan offer recipient Jeremiah Caldwell, and was the lead recruiter for Georgia commit Marquis Groves-Killebrew who is slated to visit Michigan next month.
And most importantly, he has a longstanding relationship with prized Michigan commitment Will Johnson.
“(Clinkscale) has always been a very personable guy,” Johnson’s father Deon told The Michigan Insider recently. “I’ve known him for 10-plus years. He’s always been supportive of Sound Mind Sound Body football camps from our days back at Wayne State. He never missed a camp. He’s always been a guy that’s been willing to do extra stuff work with our young kids at our middle school camps. So, William is really familiar with him. They’ve known each other for years. He was one of the first guys to offer William back in his sophomore year. I believe Kentucky was like his third offer. Him and Clinkscale, they’ve communicated a lot. So, I think it would be a good positive move. Kentucky had two more DBs drafted this year, so he’s obviously doing a great job with DBs at Kentucky. I just think it’d be a good positive move if he came to Michigan.”
“Clink knows what he’s talking about and he gets them ready. He gets them prepared for the next level, and that’s all you can ask for.”
There are three other enticing attributes that Clinkscale will bring to the table for the Maize & Blue.
- He has coordinator experience, having held that post at Cincinnati for a season.
- He is also an Ohio guy, so he will help Michigan recruit that state.
- He has a preexisting relationship with Ron Bellamy, with who he’ll be coaching the secondary with.
Stay tuned to The Michigan Insider for more on the breaking news story in the hours and days to come.
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