The Wolverines have identified a Jesse Minter stand-in.
The Wolverines plan to appoint former Giants assistant Don “Wink” Martindale as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2024, so it seems Sherrone Moore’s hunt for Michigan’s next defensive coordinator is over.
The NFL is where the seasoned defensive coordinator is from; he managed the Giants’ defence for the previous two seasons. before to that, Martindale served as the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens for six seasons before to holding the same role for four years.
This follows Sherrone Moore’s protracted hunt for a replacement for Jesse Minter, who left the Wolverines after two seasons to work for the Los Angeles Chargers under Jim Harbaugh. This past season, Michigan’s defence led the FBS with 247 yards allowed and 10.4 points allowed on average while winning a national championship. It was among the best in the country.
It’s no secret that familiarity with the defensive scheme Michigan has been using for the past few years was a key consideration for the Wolverines when they were searching for a defensive coordinator. Martindale is mostly recognised as the creator of that plan, with Minter and Mike Macdonald making some ingenious modifications.
Before taking over Michigan’s defence as head coach in 2021, Macdonald served as an assistant under Martindale at the Seattle Seahawks. Minter also spent four years in Baltimore as a member of Martindale’s defensive coaching staff.
Wink has experience as a defensive coordinator in college, though it has been a long time since. From 2000 to 2003, he worked for Western Kentucky as the defensive coordinator under Jack Harbaugh, the head coach of the Hilltoppers.
During his first three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator (2018–20), Martindale’s defences were among the best in the NFL. Although the Ravens teams did not have the same success in the Super Bowl as they did in 2012 under Martindale’s coaching of the linebacker group, they were always a strong contender.
The Giants’ assistant managed to stabilise the defence to some extent when he was in New York, but the team’s offensive woes persisted, forcing the defence to carry a disproportionate amount of the weight in order to survive. When head coach Brian Daboll sacked close members of Martindale’s staff at the end of the regular season, the two sides mutually decided to split ways.
The focus now turns to hiring a new defensive line coach and linebackers coach as this post is filled.
