In the short time he’s spent with Michigan football, Maurice Linguist generated a lot of buzz with the positive effect he has had on the recruiting trail.
But the newly appointed co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach’s tenure in Ann Arbor lasted only 107 days. A source told the Free Press that Linguist will become the next head coach at the University at Buffalo, a MAC school where he served as an assistant for two seasons. The program later announced his appointment.
The opening materialized when Lance Leipold, Buffalo’s coach from 2015-2020, left for Kansas last month to replace Michigan alum (and former assistant coach) Les Miles, who was dismissed after the details of an investigation at LSU came to light and revealed inappropriate conduct when Miles was the Tigers’ coach.
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Linguist, 37, was hired by Michigan on Jan. 20 and joined the program during a major staff shakeup this offseason following the completion of head coach Jim Harbaugh’s contract extension. He was one of six new assistants who are all under the age of 40.
Before coming to Michigan, Linguist had previously spent one season as the defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
With Linguist headed to Buffalo, he will not owe any money to U-M, per the terms of his contract. The agreement stipulates that no buyout would be required if Linguist takes a head coaching position at another school or a coordinator role outside the Big Ten East Division.
This year, Linguist was scheduled to make $680,000 at Michigan.
Contact Rainer Sabin at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Big Ten newsletter.
