Michigan Football: Steve Clinkscale is a must-hire for Wolverines
Michigan football is seeking a replacement for Maurice Linguist and Steve Clinkscale is the top candidate. Here’s why Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines need him so badly.
Going back to when Jim Harbaugh signed his extension with Michigan football, one thing that was supposed to come out of that was the ability to pay top dollar for assistant coaches.
Rightly, it was something Harbaugh pushed for because you need a top-notch staff in order to compete. Now, with Maurice Linguist leaving Michigan football in a lurch, taking the job in Buffalo in May, the Wolverines are targeting Steve Clinkscale of Kentucky.
Fully expect, per source, that Kentucky DB coach Steve Clinkscale will be a candidate to replace the recently departed Maurice Linguist at Michigan. Linguist briefly held the position of co-defensive coordinator/DB coach.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) May 7, 2021
Clink has been a candidate on more than one occasion for a job at Michigan and this is the perfect opportunity to hire him.
But Warde Manuel is going to have to put his money where his mouth is.
Clink is on staff at Kentucky under Mark Stoops and he has a good thing going there. He’s the passing-game coordinator on defense, in addition to coaching defensive backs and he’s done a really good job, both on the field and on the trail.
Kentucky just signed Clink to a one-year extension worth $500,000 back in January, but it’s still just a one-year deal through the 2021 season.
The Wildcats are certainly going to try and keep him. They aren’t going to want to lose a valuable coach in May, especially one who has done an exceptional job of recruiting Michigan and Ohio.
Michigan football just has to blow him away with its offer. For starters, Harbaugh needs to make him the co-defensive coordinator, just like Linguist, or don’t even make the call.
Linguist was set to make just under $700,000 but if Michigan makes a similar offer to Clink, it feels like something Kentucky would probably be able to match.
Terry Joseph, the passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Texas is set to make $1.5 million over the next two years. So if Michigan really wants Clink, Warde is going to have to open his pocketbook and go beyond those numbers.
Why Clink will be worth it
There are some other viable candidates to replace Linguist besides Clink, and others have emerged as Chris Balas of The Wolverine (subscription required) mentions Roy Manning of Oklahoma and Chris Hawkins of Arizona State.
Manning was a former Wolverine and is the cornerbacks coach at OU, while Hawkins is in the same position at Arizona State. He’s known as an excellent recruiter but this job isn’t just about recruiting and that’s why Clink is the perfect hire.
Linguist was also brought in to help re-shape the pass defense. Michigan has a first-time defensive coordinator in Mike Macdonald, so getting another coach with experience, one ready to be a coordinator is important.
Over the past four seasons, Kentucky has had a top-four pass defense in the SEC. And we all know Michigan football could desperately use some assistance on the back end of its defense.
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Clink is also a solid recruiter. He checks both boxes and would calm the waters with Will Johnson. But U-M can’t low-ball him, they have to blow him away and get this deal done.