Michigan football hires Steve Clinkscale from Kentucky as defensive backs coach
Michigan football has found a replacement for Maurice Linguist.
A source confirmed to the Free Press that the Wolverines have hired Kentucky assistant coach Steve Clinkscale as a defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.
Clinkscale accepted a three-year deal with Michigan and will have a chance to be promoted to co-defensive coordinator as soon as the second year of his deal.
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The news was first reported by Sam Webb of 247Sports.
Four days after Linguist, previously the defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator, left to become the head coach at the University at Buffalo, the Wolverines moved to Clinkscale.
Clinkscale, 43, has been at Kentucky since 2016. Between 2016-2020, he was the defensive backs coach; earlier this offseason, he was promoted to passing game coordinator (while also retaining his previous title).
Clinkscale was at Cincinnati between 2013-15 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2015. He has one prior stop in the Big Ten; Illinois' cornerbacks coach in 2012. He coached at Toledo between 2009-12, was at Western Carolina in 2008 and coached at Division II Ashland, where he played, between 2001-07.
Under Clinkscale's direction, Kentucky ranked in the top four in the SEC in passing defense for three consecutive seasons and had the conference's top passing defense in 2019 and 2020. He has coached numerous defensive backs who were drafted, including Kelvin Joseph, Mike Edwards and Lonnie Johnson, among others.
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Clinkscale also has significant experience as a recruiter in the Midwest, helping Kentucky sign highly touted prospects from Michigan such as Oak Park's Justin Rogers (2020) and Marquan McCall (2018), among others.
Clinkscale earned $501,900 in total salary in 2020, according to a USA Today database of assistant coaches salaries. He made $400,900 in 2019 and $300,900 in 2018.
While the details of his contract have not been made public yet, Linguist will likely make more at Michigan than he did at Kentucky; Linguist, who signed a two-year deal earlier this offseason, was scheduled to make $680,000 in Year One and $690,000 in Year Two.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football adds Steve Clinkscale as passing game coordinator
