Friday thoughts: What makes Michigan coach Steve Clinkscale elite

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made several moves after the 2020 season that helped change the trajectory of the program. The culture went from broken to strong almost overnight — almost unprecedented — and while there were many factors, one stands out.

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Well, two. The first — strong leadership. Guys like Aidan Hutchinson, Cade McNamara, Josh Ross, Brad Hawkins, the Andrews on the offensive line (Stueber and Vastardis), among others, said, “enough is enough.” Harbaugh then made significant changes to his staff, bringing in coaches with U-M ties (Ron Bellamy, Mike Hart), and one who just seemed to in Steve Clinkscale.

The Michigan secondary coach/co-D.C. has the traits of some of the best assistants to have coached here. He’s beloved by his players, but extremely demanding, too. He admitted as much this week in describing how he prepares his guys even for games against lesser competition. 

“Last week, I was crazy. This week I’m going to be crazy, and the following week I’m going to be crazy,” Clinkscale said — and he wasn’t joking. “It doesn’t matter. You guys watched enough TV last week to see that if you take anybody lightly or you don’t handle your own business, then things can change. Your outcome can be not what you want. 

“So … it doesn’t matter who the competition is. The competition, I tell our guys every day, is that guy that you wake up and you brush your teeth, and you look in the mirror. It doesn’t matter who they’re lining up in front of you; you’ve got to do your job, you have to battle yourself every day.”

It’s his job, Clinkscale added, to help them pick their battles and how they’re going to win. 

“We don’t look at the competition. We look at ourselves and handling our business,” he said. “I know it’s cliche, but that’s how I’m building this. I’ve always believed that as a player and as a coach.”

Tougher tests, but the same message from Clinkscale

In that respect, he’s much like the best who have ever coached here. Former head coach Lloyd Carr was unbelievably demanding but beloved by his players. Our analyst and former Michigan All-Big Ten and NFL lineman Doug Skene once said he “hated” Les Miles when he was at U-M — and he told him as much — but saw him years later and thanked him for being so hard on him, noting he wouldn’t have gotten where he was without it.

Clinkscale is more Carr than Miles, and every bit as successful. He understands that tests are going to get tougher — not this week against UConn, but next week against Maryland, for sure — and he wants his guys prepared. 

“It’s not really who we’re playing,” Clinkscale said. “A lot of times, you want to be extremely detailed all the time. They should deliver. [The grading] is not harsher. I grade tough — period. How I deliver a message when I’m meeting with the players that next day definitely depends on our attitude, how we play, our effort, and how we strained. 

“If they did well, love them up. But — you could also coach them a little bit harder in that situation. If you’re not doing well, sometimes you’ve got to find a way to get the message across to them.”

He believes in being honest with them first and foremost, another trait of the coaching greats. But it’s how you deliver the message, he added, that matters. 

Former head coach Bo Schembechler once wrote in his book how different methods worked with various players. Some guys needed the yelling, or the crack of a yardstick over the helmet. For receiver Greg McMurtry, a “that was a very disappointing play for you, Greg” would suffice.

“How you deliver the message depends on the player … depends on the situation, the mood, and so forth,” Clinkscale said. “But I definitely like telling the guys the truth. And because we’re secondary guys, you need to know the truth. 

“If you’re going to continue to do this certain deal, then you’re not going to get opportunity to play much because you’re going to give up touchdowns. Well, you don’t want to give up touchdowns? Let’s do this, this time. 

“You see the guys, they grow throughout the game, from game to game, and definitely at practice.”

Making the most of every day

And that’s where it really starts. Any day Clinkscale doesn’t get his players’ best isn’t a wasted day, necessarily, but it is a missed opportunity. The best of the best demand it day in and day out, and he’s no different. 

They also ask for a little better each time. And while “good” is good, it’s not good enough.

“Really, it’s the consistency of practice for me,” he said. “I think if we practice on a level that we’re not making mental mistakes, we’re communicating, we’re getting opportunities to intercept the ball, and we’re capitalizing on that, I think that carries over to the games. 

“We play against one of the best offenses in the country, as well. Coach [Sherrone] Moore was just up here. They were good against the run because we see it every day. We’re challenging the passes because our receivers are excellent receivers, and our quarterbacks are excellent, as well.”

To get better and play in national championship games, etc. — and make no mistake, that’s the goal — they’ve got to continue to build on each day and keep pulling the best out of one another.

“… The passion you see on the field — that’s how we practice,” Clinkscale said. “And I think the more havoc you cause in the secondary, the more the quarterback is confused, the more opportunities you have to be the best secondary in the country. 

“It’s going to be a group that’s communicating great, physical, and anticipating the issues. And then we have to take the ball away, of course.”

They’re making strides each week. But close isn’t good enough for Clinkscale, and he’s made that clear. It’s one of the traits that makes him not only a great coach, but also a great fit at a place like Michigan.