Cats Illustrated can confirm that Steve Clinkscale is leaving Mark Stoops' staff at Kentucky for a position at the University of Michigan.

Several Michigan media outlets reported that the long-rumored deal, which would include an opportunity for a promotion to co-defensive coordinator with the Wolverines, had been completed earlier on Tuesday.

The hiring fills the vacancy left by Maurice Linguist on Jim Harbaugh's staff, who accepted the head coach position at Buffalo.

Clinkscale had served on the UK staff since 2016. He was the Wildcats' defensive backs coach and has been credited with helping make major improvements to the pass defense. Kentucky ranked No. 1 in the SEC last season against the pass at 224.6 yards per game and a league-high 16 interceptions, which ranked third nationally.

Kentucky has ranked in the top four of the SEC against the pass for three straight seasons. Two of the players from his 2020 secondary -- cornerbacks Kelvin Joseph and Brandin Echols -- were selected in this year's NFL Draft. He also played a role in developing eventual NFL players like Mike Edwards, Lonnie Johnson, and Chris Westry during his time at UK.

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Clinkscale has a strong recruiting reputation in Ohio and Michigan, and had recently made an impact for UK in Tennessee. He played a key role in recruiting several of the players in the Cats' 2022 recruiting class, which is currently No.7 in Rivals' national rankings.

He had previously recruited several high-profile players from the greater Detroit area to UK, including linebacker DeAndre Square and defensive tackles Justin Rogers and Marquan McCall.

Stay tuned to Cats Illustrated for updates on where UK turns to replace a key member of the staff.