Longtime KU football assistant leaves to become defensive coordinator at C-USA school
After 24 total years on the Kansas football sideline, longtime assistant Clint Bowen will have a new home in 2020.
Bowen, who was KU’s safeties coach last season, will be the new defensive coordinator at North Texas, the school announced Thursday afternoon.
In heading to the Conference USA program, Bowen will be reunited with a few former colleagues. North Texas coach Seth Littrell was a graduate assistant at KU from 2002-04, while former Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino’s son — Tommy — is an offensive quality control coach with North Texas.
Adrian Mayes, who played offensive line at KU from 2005-09, also is the Mean Green’s tight ends coach.
“It had to be the perfect situation for me to leave KU and that is exactly what UNT offers,” Bowen said in the North Texas release. “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.”
Bowen departs KU after spending a the last eight years on staff. Over that time, he served a few roles, including special teams coach, linebackers coach, defensive coordinator, interim head coach (he went 1-7 in 2014) and safeties coach.
He also was an assistant for KU from 1998-2009.
This is the second time that Bowen will be North Texas’ defensive coordinator. He accepted that position in 2011 before returning to the Jayhawks’ coaching staff the next season in 2012.
“Coach Bowen is a huge addition for us,” Littrell said, “and we are happy to have the opportunity to bring such an experienced defensive coach back to Denton.”
A Lawrence native, Bowen played for KU in the early 1990s and graduated from the school in 1995.
