Jim Harbaugh had Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale installed as co-defensive coordinators for two seasons at Michigan. That may be a tell about where the Chargers plan to go at DC now that Minter has been named John Harbaugh‘s Ravens HC replacement.
The Chargers must interview at least one external minority candidate before any Clinkscale promotion — a rumored Minter succession plan — can commence, and they are moving on their DC search hours after Minter’s pledge to return to Baltimore.
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Rams defensive pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant has received a Chargers DC interview request, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Pleasant has received a few interview slips during his time in the NFL ranks; he is now on stint No. 2 with the Rams. The Bolts cannot interview Pleasant until at least next week, with Rams staffers on hold until their season is over or during their Super Bowl LX bye week.
Also a former Michigan assistant (but before Jim Harbaugh’s time as the program’s HC), Pleasant has been an NFL staffer since 2012. He served as Sean McVay‘s cornerbacks coach from 2017-20 and has been in charge of the Rams’ DBs since 2023. In between, Pleasant was on the Lions and Packers’ staffs. The Rams ranked 19th against the pass this season.
The Bears and Jaguars sent Pleasant interview slips last year. The Rams met with him about replacing Raheem Morris in 2024. The Saints and Vikings discussed their positions with him in 2022. Back in 2019, the Bengals began his time on the DC carousel with an interview. None of these meetings has produced a hire, and the Clinkscale rumor could point to the Chargers following this trend.
Clinkscale has coached under Jim Harbaugh longer than Minter, arriving in Ann Arbor in 2021. He has mentored a secondary that has featured modest investments at cornerback and one that coaxed rebound seasons from the likes of Kristian Fulton, Elijah Molden and Donte Jackson over the past two years. Clinkscale, who is also Black, would not count toward the Rooney Rule since he is already on the Chargers’ staff. It will be interesting to see if the Bolts move quickly to promote him or if this DC search includes a few names.