Chargers Complete DC Interview With DBs Coach Steve Clinkscale

The Los Angeles Chargers announced they have completed an interview with DBs coach Steve Clinkscale for their DC vacancy.

we’ve completed an interview with Steve Clinkscale for defensive coordinator pic.twitter.com/70Axoq0xF3

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) January 27, 2026

Here’s an updated list of candidates for the Chargers’ DC role:

1. Rams Assistant HC Aubrey Pleasant (Interviewed)
2. Ravens DC Zach Orr (Scheduled)
3. Chargers OLB coach Dylan Roney (Interviewed)
4. Chargers Safeties coach Adam Fuller (Interviewed)
5. Chargers DBs coach Steve Clinkscale (Interviewed)

Clinkscale, 48, started his coaching career at Ashland University in 2001 where he remained until 2007 as the DBs coach and one year as the LBs coach. He held various DBs coach roles for the next several years at Western Carolina, Toledo, Illinois and Cincinnati before being promoted to DC at Cincinnati for the 2015 season.

From there, Clinkscale served as the secondary coach at Kentucky from 2016 to 2020 before being hired as the DBs coach at Michigan in 2021. He was promoted to co-DC for 2022 and 2023 before joining HC Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers as the DBs coach ahead of the 2024 season.