Steve Clinkscale wants Amorion Walker to thrive as a versatile option

Michigan co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale won't be pining for Amorion Walker to be a full-time defensive back, nor would he refuse the freshman to try his hand at playing wide receiver further, either.

The truth is, Clinkscale wants Walker to thrive as a versatile athlete for the Wolverines. Whether it's at corner or at receiver, the coaching staff are always looking to put its players in the best position to succeed.

"As a coach, we're very creative with ways of finding packages for guys to play," Clinkscale told reporters on Wednesday. "Would I want him to be a permanent corner? I want him to be a permanent athlete on the team, period. I want to see him catch a touchdown, when they threw that ball to him, I was standing there watching that play and he beat the guy on the first step and I'm excited. Here we go, here we go.

"Then he comes right back over, switches his jersey and goes right back to corner. I like for him to continue to get better at both, to be honest with you. He can be a very exciting, electrifying weapon for us. I look forward to see what he can do."

Making his initial appearance with the program at wide receiver, head coach Jim Harbaugh on a whim, like he does with his position switches, asked Clinkscale whether he wanted Walker at defensive back.

And so it happened.

Walker made his appearance on Saturday against Hawaii as a defensive back and will continue to learn both positions to find the best fit for him moving forward.

It's been a process the freshman has picked up relatively quickly.

"I love working for Jim Harbaugh," Clinkscale said. "I like his mind. We could be in the middle of practice and he could decide, hey, this kid wants to (play) at corner. No problem. It's my job to figure out, like with Amorion, what he can do. We're started working with him in a third-down package. Primarily on man coverages, give him an opportunity to showcase his talents and get comfortable. When you're playing defensive back, if you're not confident or comfortable, it's going to be hard to make plays, it's hard to want to be out there. We're finding his role."

Adding:

"He's a versatile athlete and he's a natural at corner, to be honest with you, when it comes to the athletic piece. We've done a lot of meetings and stuff and he actually picks things up pretty fast, so he knows zone coverages and the man now. He and Mikey and a couple of other players, the more that you have a head coach that he loves that—guys who want to be more of a team player and they have the ability to do it, too? As a coach, it fires me up because every day I may have a different guy to work with to see if he can do it. Give those guys an opportunity to be successful."