Michigan football under Jim Harbaugh went to the Baltimore Ravens tree twice to find its defensive coordinator, hiring Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter—assistants who worked under then-Ravens DC Wink Martindale. While Sherrone Moore tried to do the same initially by targeting Joe Cullen, he ended up going a different route — what about Martindale himself?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the first-year Michigan football head coach will be hiring Martindale for the vacant defensive coordinator position in Ann Arbor. He was last the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants before he parted ways with the franchise this offseason after they fired two of his assistants.
Michigan is planning to hire former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale as its defensive coordinator, per sources. Deal still is being finalized but it is not expected to be an issue. Martindale will replace Jesse Minter, who became the Chargers defensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/O0KhhAIkUQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2024
Bringing Martindale in is a splash hire for the maize and blue. Though many fans have expressed doubt over the past few days and some football scheme gurus have indicated a big difference between Macdonald and Minter’s scheme to that of their former mentor, Martindale definitely knows and understands what the Wolverines have been running. Though there could be some changes, he would bring continuity to the defensive attack in Moore’s first year.