Michigan secondary coach Steve Clinkscale is set to leave the program for the Los Angeles Chargers and join head coach Jim Harbaugh, according to Chris Balas of The Wolverine.
Clinkscale also served as the co-defensive coordinator last season for Michigan. This move comes on the heels of Michigan hiring Wink Martindale as the new defensive coordinator.
Jesse Minter, who was the DC this past fall, followed Harbaugh to the NFL. Now it appears Clinkscale will do the same.
“This one is similar to strength coach Ben Herbert, who initially indicated he was staying before Harbaugh made him a big offer,” Balas wrote. “Money was one of the hang-ups there, and while that was initially the case with Clinkscale, too — the buyout, specifically — it appears that’s been worked out …
“As previously reported, Harbaugh had been courting Clinkscale for a while. Minter loved the thought of having him as his secondary coach, and there had been discussions. Harbaugh had said he wanted the Chargers to be “Michigan West,” and it will certainly have a familiar flavor with much of the band back together.”
Now that Clinkscale is off west, Martindale’s vision will have to come to the forefront for the Wolverines’ defense in 2024.
In a conversation with On3’s Andy Staples, the Wolverine’s Clayton Sayfie raved about Michigan’s latest hire.
“You’re keeping it in the family. The scheme is going to be similar,” Sayfie said. “He’s 60 years old. He hasn’t been in college football since 2003 at Western Kentucky and a few of his years at Western Kentucky were under Jack Harbaugh.
“It’s a splash type of hire, getting a guy out of the NFL. And, I think it could be a pretty good fit for Michigan at least for a couple of years, if that’s what they get out of him.”
Jack Harbaugh isn’t Martindale’s only connection to Michigan. He also spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, including four years as the team’s defensive coordinator. Of course, during his tenure in Baltimore, Martindale served under head coach John Harbaugh, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s brother.
With so many connections, Martindale’s defense at Michigan will likely be reminiscent of those who came before him. Obviously, it was working. Michigan finished its national championship season with the No. 1 defense in the country, only allowing 247 yards per game.
Staples had his own analogy for the hire.
“It’s sort of like you lose Snoop Dogg and Eminem, and then you hire Dr. Dre,” Staples said with a smile.
Grant Grubbs contributed to this report
More must-reads: