Clint Bowen is Kansas football. Kansas football is Clint Bowen. Sadly for both parties however, they will no longer be together come 2020.
There is a bit of a silver lining for one side though as the veteran assistant who has seen a lot of bad football over the years is leaving to take a position on the coaching staff of North Texas as defensive coordinator.
“First, I would like to thank Seth Littrell and Wren Baker for the opportunity to return to UNT,” Bowen said in a statement released on Thursday. “It had to be the perfect situation for me to leave KU and that is exactly what UNT offers. Coach Littrell is so well respected in the coaching profession and has established a foundation and culture at UNT that puts the program in position for tremendous success. I am excited to be a part of the future of Mean Green football.”
The move comes just as Bowen wraps up his 21st season with the program on the sidelines, the bulk of which have been spent coaching defensive backs. He has been one of the few constants for the Jayhawks the past two decades and served under Les Miles, David Beaty, Charlie Weis and Mark Mangino during his time on staff.
A former KU defensive back in the early 1990’s, the Lawrence native has spent nearly his entire coaching career at his alma mater and served as interim head coach when Weis was fired in 2014 (he went 1-7 while in charge). Bowen was originally hired as a graduate assistant after his playing days were over by Glen Mason and followed the coach that recruited him to Minnesota for one season in 1997. He coached a variety of positions under Mangino and eventually left in 2010 to serve as Western Kentucky defensive coordinator.
Bowen also spent another year with the Mean Green as Dan McCarney’s defensive coordinator as well. Now he’ll return to Denton in what is likely the same capacity for Littrell, who is set to make a host of additional changes to his staff after a disappointing 2019 saw the Conference USA favorites go 4-8 and miss out on a bowl game.
While you can’t fault a position coach for taking a coordinator gig elsewhere, even at a Group of Five school, the change still marks the end of an era for the Jayhawks as they open 2020 without a longtime stalwart around for the ride.
