Kansas’s decision to hire new head coach Lance Leipold has had a domino effect that has reached Mark Stoops’ staff in Lexington.

Leipold’s departure for Lawrence left an opening at Buffalo, which was filled by the school reaching into Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan staff to hire away co-defensive coordinator, Maurice Linguist.

Now with an opening in Ann Arbor, Michigan has turned around and hired away Kentucky defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale to join Harbaugh’s staff to replace Linguist. News of Clinkscale’s hire at Michigan was first reported by Sam Webb of 247Sports and has since been confirmed by multiple reports.

Clinkscale has been on staff in Lexington dating back to the 2016 season. This offseason, Stoops gave Clinkscale a promotion, naming him Kentucky’s new defensive passing game coordinator.

During his time in Lexington, he’s helped develop several standout defensive backs including Yusuf Corker, Kelvin Joseph, Mike Edwards, and Lonnie Johnson. He was also a key recruiter in Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 4 in the SEC.

Prior to this news, Kentucky was set to have three new assistant coaches heading into the 2021 season: Liam Cohen – Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks, John Settle – Running backs (the second different coach hired for that position this offseason), and Eric Wolford – Offensive line.