Everything Steve Clinkscale told the media about Michigan's fall camp
On whether he feels the defense is ahead of where it was last year
I agree with it. In the perspective that a lot of these guys have been in the system already, it isn’t something that’s new to them. Starting off in the summer last year, even though I had a little bit of a spring previous to last fall camp, we still put in a lot of stuff at the same time. Most of the menu that we have, a lot of our players have already experienced. It’s a lot easier for the coaches as well. Communicating and understanding all the nuances, what’s gonna happen, to predict and anticipate the issues. If you can coach like that and your players can think like that, it helps them stay further ahead with communication, and effort, with knowing your responsibility. I would agree with that, especially as far as understanding the game a lot better.
On the development of the freshmen
I think the young men that were here in the spring have a slight advantage as far as understanding the system. The two other gentlemen who got here in the summer are under academic, they’re in class. So, adding that to their plate with football, still in school right now, it’s a little challenging for them. They’re performing, Zeke (Berry) is especially performing to a level where you can see his instincts. You can see why we recruited him and what he’s gonna be able to do. As far as Will, Myles, and Kody, you definitely see they’re a little further ahead than the freshmen were last year. We were able to get—except for Rod Moore, he was different. Those guys will develop right where we need them to. We’re going to ask all of them to help us at some point. The capacity is really going to be up to them, what they know, what they understand, and how they can execute.
On Keon Sabb
Keon’s done a great job. He’s probably got the hardest job of the bunch, of those four, because he has to know both safeties. He knows what the safeties are doing, now it’s just taking that step forward on the field, applying it, and being able to let loose and make some plays. Yesterday, he had a really good practice and he keeps getting better every week and every day. He’s really evolving and he’s really got the biggest load. Playing corner, the biggest responsibility is not getting beat deep. Nickel, you’ve gotta understand the nuances. But safety, he’s gotta know what everybody’s doing, make all the checks. For him being a freshman, I think he’s doing a great job.
On the next steps for the secondary
The biggest thing is always the communication piece that I was talking about. Ever since I started coaching, that was the number one thing. If you can’t get lined up, you can’t make checks, you can’t execute your assignment. You can’t think, the coach has something in his mind that he wants and the players have to understand what we’re communicating to them and then go out and do your job. The other thing I’ve seen a little bit more in the secondary is that personality. They’re kind of vibing off of me. I tell them all the time, by nature, where I’m from, you have to have an aggressiveness, you have to have a mentality that you’re gonna take it to them and not get hit in the mouth and they’re doing that. They’re playing, they’re covering a lot better, and they’re being a lot more aggressive and understand what they’re doing. You hear me say that word all the time, understanding, understanding. To me, that’s a big piece of coaching and teaching. But I see those guys definitely a lot better as a unit than they were last year.
On whether it took time to get them there
The previous defense was a really good scheme and everything, but we added so much more, did things a little different, given them a little bit more responsibility. I think once they were able to get a year under their belt, they understood the expectations, and to have the season we had last year, they know that in order to win all of our games and do all the things we want to do, our group’s gotta play better. We’ve gotta create more takeaways. We’ve gotta eliminate big plays, and eliminate confusion.
On Mike Sainristil's progression and the other cornerbacks
Mikey’s still playing both sides, and he’s doing a great job of understanding and embodying what we’re doing on defense. To be honest with you, man, he’s so natural. Sometimes, when I watch the film, ‘Wow, he’s only been over here with us for a few months.’ Just to see his personality and see him take heed to the leadership. We ask him a lot to be a leader on the team and—offense, defense, special teams with the young guys. You see him grow, it’s been awesome. He’s really been a good leader in that room with the nickels. He and DJ Turner has given us some nickel reps, Will Johnson, Kody, and of course, Rod Moore. Everybody knows it. To be honest with you, both the Green brothers, both the safeties, they all know nickel. We’ve done a really good job of just teaching everybody the position. Now, who’s gonna play? It will be game-to-game and will definitely be up to their ability in camp and what they’re doing. But Mikey’s doing a great job and we’re seeing so many guys do some good things and we’ll keep breeding that position. The way I look at it, I’m gonna be longwinded but corners need to know how to play nickel, safeties need to know how to play dime. If the safeties can play dime, then when we go against teams that have got really good tight ends, then we don’t have to create defenses to match up. And if the corners can play nickels, that gives us more out there that can be versatile. And it also expands the knowledge of the unit.
On how the players vibe off him
I think personalities are contagious. I think if you’re just a boring person, the people around you are going to be bored. I’m not a boring person whatsoever and I have a standard of respect in our room, but I also have a standard of understanding. You can talk to us about anything. We’ll stop meetings and we’ll talk about how you should sit in the class, how you should sit in the front. Sit up, act interested, lean forward, nod your head, track the professor. If that professor may be teaching Swahili, for example, that’s the most important thing in their life, same thing as a coach. Give them that respect. If they feel you’re not interested, they don’t want to be there. We teach them life lessons here at Michigan. But we also teach them the opportunity that you can relate to me. You can talk to me. I could be their father figure, their brother, their uncle. But when you’re on that field, that’s our one role together and embody the aggressiveness I bring to the table or just being able to relate and have that communication in a relationship is huge. Whenever you feel like you can relate to somebody you work with, for, or their leading you, I think you always get more.
On the safety battle
Makari has definitely in the spring continued to grow so far. That was always our question: How would he continue to grow in the fall? So far, he has not taken a step back. Same thing with RJ Moten. He’s also done a great job of continuing to take the steps forward. Rod, as well. You could see the first couple of days Rod getting the dust off a little bit, but now he’s starting to get back into the groove of things. His knowledge for the game is—he’s like a coach out there. All three of them, to be honest with you. But his knack and his instincts on the field will continue to push all of them together. Like I said, to have him at nickel, too, helps us get our best players on the field. The one thing will say about the secondary, you saw in the spring game, Makari went out and played corner because we were down some guys because we split up the team. We’re going to teach everybody in that room to know every position. Now, the skill level, the ability to play it in a game, maybe, maybe not. But could I get out of a game putting Makari at corner, for example? Yes. And then put Rod at safety, correct? So we want to continue to make them versatile. The fight there is going to continue to go, all season long. Who’s up? Who had a better game? Just continue to rotate those guys, it’s a long season, we want to be national champs, we have a lot of games to play. You can’t start a guy every game for that many weeks and think he’s going to be at his best at the end of the year when we need to be. We need to be at our best in November, December, and January.
On who is competing opposite of DJ Turner at CB
It’s very competitive. Gemon Green, I felt, had a better spring than he did and we challenged DJ from the spring. He got better from the spring. This summer, getting back with him, you could see the challenge between him, Gemon, young guys like Will, definitely Mikey, Mikey plays corner, as well. Those guys have really, really pushed each other. No one feels they’re really just the guy, even DJ. Even though he’s a freak, the No. 31 freak in the country? I think they’re all freaks. They all have a great ability to push one another and the camaraderie is awesome. I think Gemon’s definitely shown he’s where we’ve always wanted him to be and he’s gotta continue to grow. And DJ will continue to push. But DJ, in camp so far, has really, really, really been impressive to me in certain situations. So I want to see him continue to grow, as well.
On how mentally advanced the program is
Mentally advanced as far as understanding the game of football, I think this has been the best program I’ve been around. From teaching that to the entire team, the entire team knows how I teach block destruction, how I teach man coverage. We know how the O-line teaches pulling or how we’re gonna defend pullers. I think our knowledge of the game is what makes us a hungry team to make us want to learn more about the defense. ‘Well, why are we doing this? Where’s my help and who am I helping?’ I think if we continue to do that as a defense and as a team, we’ll continue to exceed expectations. I think that starts with Coach Harbaugh and that’s been an excellent experience.
On how the dynamics of recruiting have changed with NIL
I think we’ll find out during the signing period, of course. I think the first year, we still had relationships with everyone. Because of COVID, we weren’t able to do all the trips just as much. This summer, everybody was able to get out and those relationships actually are helping with certain, for us, especially. We’re not making NIL, like, hey, that’s the only thing, the only factor. I think it’s way more than that. With anybody, it’s about the development about your son when he comes to play for us. How is he gonna leave here? And the NIL may leave with a couple more commas, and his bank account (will have) more zeroes, however, he’ll definitely leave here a better man, an educated man. A football player. So I think those relationships help, continue to help. I think relationships always help.
On whether Ja'Den McBurrows is full-go
Not 100%, but he’s back with us. Ja’Den is like junior Clink, he’s coaching out there. I love Ja’Den. He’s really grown up a lot for us. He’ll stand on one sideline while I’m on the other sideline, he’ll help the young guys, make sure they line up correctly, know their assignment, they’re communicating. And he has worked out a little bit with the training staff, not with us. I think he’s right there where he needs to be and I look forward to getting him back when he’s able to be back with us.
On whether that he will be back this year
Medically speaking, he has a chance, but I’m not really sure. But, if he is and he’s available and able to go out there and do his job, he’ll definitely have a part in the secondary.
On what McBurrows showed pre-injury
He showed that he’s physical, he’s super quick and fast. Now he’s showing me that he knows the game more and the defense. So that’s gonna gain more trust. The biggest thing with freshmen is not always their skill set, it’s do they know what they’re doing out there? And there are a lot of factors to that, a lot of moving parts. I know that he knows what he’s doing. I felt a little bit that way last year, I’m very reassured now that he does. So when he’s 100%, he’ll definitely contribute and be a big asset for us.
On how he's seen the defensive front communicate
Mike is very loud. He’s definitely the leader. Mazi, you guys have met Mazi. Mazi’s not that vocal all the time, but when Mazi speaks, everybody listens. He pulls them in and he has his way of things. I think sometimes being loud on the field demonstrates confidence and we know what we’re doing. But Mazi, when you sit there and listen to him talk, he knows what we’re doing in the backend sometimes, too. So it’s not always about being loud, he’s confident. Like Jesse said, piggybacking off of that, I think they’re more confident upfront with what we’re seeing in the backend, and we’re more confident with them up front blending together, doing things right and communicating, that’s when you see the communication. When our ones are out there, the communication is obnoxious, it’s unbelievable. The twos are getting there. The ones have set the bar and will continue to bring everybody. Once we get everybody there, there’s only as good as your backup. So, the closer we get, ones, twos, and threes, on the same level communication-wise and confidence, then we’ll continue to be a dominant defense.
On whether being obnoxious is good
Obnoxious is good on the football field. It’s gotta be crazy, like a fire drill, when that siren goes off. It’s gotta be great communication, everybody knows where they’re supposed to go, what they’re supposed to do so that we’re safe.