Jim Harbaugh has left Michigan. The next question: How many Michigan assistant coaches and staffers will he bring with him to the Los Angeles Chargers?
“The biggest rumored loss would be defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who continued the revitalization of the Michigan defense that was started by current Baltimore Ravens DC Mike Macdonald. If Minter joins Harbaugh in Los Angeles, as expected, then the new head coach will have a decision to make: elevate a current staffer to coordinator or search for a new one. Either way, that lends to the other big question: Will the defensive scheme continue as is?
“Michigan has a wealth of returning players on defense, including edge rushers Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart, defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, linebacker Ernest Hausmann, safeties Rod Moore and Makari Paige and cornerback Will Johnson. With those players still in the fold, it would be ideal to continue running the same system, even more ideally with the same coordinator. If I’m the University of Michigan, I make an offer that Minter can’t refuse financially to continue coaching in the college ranks, knowing he’d be the best option for prolonged success. After all, Harbaugh has a great option outside of Minter: Vic Fangio, his former defensive coordinator at Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers who parted ways with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, as well.”
Michigan plays USC this September. The composition of the Michigan coaching staff and the comfort zone it has — or lacks — will shape the contours of the Wolverines’ battle with the Trojans in Ann Arbor.
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