Webblog: Some late-night breaking news on the coaching fron

The coaching carousel, which has whisked numerous coaches away from Michigan in recent weeks, has finally returned one to Ann Arbor. Multiple program sources informed me tonight that Steve Clinkscale informed players and coaches earlier today that he intends to continue in his post as Michigan co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Jim Harbaugh attempted to take “Clink” with him to the Chargers, but it was ultimately insufficient to entice the fourth-year Wolverine assistant away.

With the secondary position filled, Sherrone Moore’s focus shifts to tomorrow’s interview with former New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. If the meeting goes as planned, program insiders anticipate Moore will offer Martindale the job. If Martindale agrees, he is expected to bring former New York linebackers coach Drew Wilkins with him. That would leave one slot open on the defensive line. Several candidates have surfaced for the role, including one who, according to sources, is the clubhouse leader.

The New York Giants lost four straight games, and second-year safety Xavier McKinney confesses missing the Pro Bowl this season bothered him. In 14 starts, the former Alabama star racked up 75 tackles, five interceptions, and a team-high nine passes defensed.

“It happened just as it did. “It is what it is,” McKinney remarked on the Giants’ official website, after admitting he felt spurned. “Obviously, things haven’t gone well for our team or me this year, but that’s the way it is. As you mentioned, this isn’t the only year I can make the Pro Bowl. I simply have to keep working, get back into the lab, and figure out how to make sure I don’t miss it next year or in the years to come. It’s what it is. Just got back to work.”

The former All-SEC defensive back won a national championship with the Crimson Tide in 2017 and is doing everything he can to assist New York turn around its woes in the NFC.