Maurice Linguist says 'incredible opportunity' at Buffalo only thing that lured him from Michigan
The stop in Ann Arbor for Maurice Linguist didn’t last much longer than a cup of coffee. Just a few months after being named the co-defensive coordinator at Michigan, the 37-year-old got his first opportunity to become a head coach.
It was too good of an offer to pass up.
Linguist was named the next head coach of Buffalo over the weekend, replacing Lance Leipold, who left the school for the job at Kansas. With such little time to make a change, the Bulls pulled the trigger on an experienced coach with ties to the program.
During his introductory press conference on Monday morning, Linguist said that the offer was the only reason he decided to leave Ann Arbor.
“I would still be at Michigan if it wasn’t for this incredible opportunity here,” Linguist said.
Linguist on leaving Michigan for @UBFootball: “I would still be at Michigan if it wasn’t for this incredible opportunity here.”
— Rachel Lenzi 😷 (@rachelmlenzi) May 10, 2021
Linguist has been coaching in some capacity since 2007, when he was a graduate assistant at Baylor. He arrived at Michigan after serving as the defensive backs coach with the Dallas Cowboys during the 2020 season.
Part of the appeal of Buffalo hiring Linguist was his previous ties to the program. He was a member of the staff from 2012-13, starting out as the defensive backs coach before adding passing game coordinator to his title. Linguist also had stops at Iowa State, Mississippi State, Minnesota and Texas A&M.
Linguist’s departure leaves Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh looking for a new staff member with less than four months until kickoff.
Maurice Linguist is introduced as the new head coach of @UBFootball pic.twitter.com/4U6QOPF6J9
— Derek Gee (@DerekGeePhoto) May 10, 2021