Tag: Jesse Minter

Michigan football defense propelled by ‘obnoxious communication’

This is really good stuff to hear. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast earlier this week, Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh said that he feels the defense is further along than last season’s ballyhooed group at this time last year.

It’s a notion that co-defensive coordinator/defensive pass game coordinator Steve Clinkscale echoes.

“Oh yeah, I agree with it,” Clinkscale said on Thursday. “In the perspective that a lot of these guys have been in the system already, it isn’t something that’s new to them, starting off in the summer last year — even though I had a little bit of a spring previous to last fall camp, we still put in a lot of stuff at the same time. Most of the menu that we have, a lot of our players have already experienced.”

But why has it looked better? The Wolverines lost the bulk of their departees on the defensive side of the ball, thus, most pundits anticipate that Michigan will take a step back on that front.

However, like we heard from players on Tuesday, the biggest step has been communication — which is borne from knowledge.

“Communicating and understanding all the nuances, what’s gonna happen, to predict and anticipate the issues,” Clinkscale said. “If you can coach like that and your players can think like that, it helps them stay further ahead with communication, with effort, with knowing your responsibility.

“I would agree with that, especially as far as understanding the game a lot better.”

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This notion wasn’t explained solely by the second-year secondary coach. First-year defensive coordinator Jesse Minter led off his Thursday media availability by explaining how the coaches have been preaching ‘obnoxious communication’ on defense.

“We always have said a loud defense is a good defense. One of the pillars of our defenses is obnoxious communication,” Minter said. “And so, a lot of our calls, it might be rotation of coverage, it might be where’s the pressure coming from? It might even be just, hey, they’re lined up like this, alert for this. And so I think our group has just bought into that being a foundation of how we want to play defense. I think they started to do that but I think, as they continue in the second year, and have a lot of carryover, that allows them to do that with a lot of confidence.

“The more confidence you have, the louder you communicate. So when you look at the younger guys, sometimes it’s quieter, it’s not as good. And so the more that the more of those guys gain confidence in them, knowing what their assignment is, knowing what they’re doing, the louder it becomes.”

What makes said communication obnoxious? And why is it good? While Minter didn’t elaborate, Clinkscale had answers on that front.

“Obnoxious is good on the football field! And it’s gotta be crazy, like a fire drill, when that siren goes off,” Clinkscale said. “It’s gotta be great communication, everybody knows where they’re supposed to go, what they’re supposed to do so that we’re safe.”

Could that pay dividends this fall? We’ll find out when the season opener against Colorado State comes Sept. 3.

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Where will Michigan football’s 2022 pass rush come from?

This is certainly an ‘all hands on deck’ type of situation. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The big narrative for Michigan football all offseason has been: how will the defense perform now that it’s without Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo? Of course, there were other players that helped move the defense along, such as Dax Hill, Josh Ross, and Brad Hawkins, but the edge rushing duo was paramount to what the Wolverines were able to accomplish en route to a Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff inclusion.

Chances are, considering Ojabo tied the previous sack record while Hutchinson shattered it — apropos, given that it was his father, Chris, who held it — the Wolverines won’t have a single player who matches up to what we saw a year ago, statistically. However, as far as first-year Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter — who is running Mike Macdonald’s scheme from a year ago — sees it, the defense doesn’t need one guy to step up in pass rushing, it needs the entire team to take some accountability in that area.

“One of the things we’ve talked about is we’re not worried about replacing whoever,” Minter said. “There are certainly some really, really good players. We want to have the best 11 players on the field for the given situation that’s occurring. When our guys buy into that, and they play really hard, they’re not worried about who makes the play, when somebody makes the play, we all make a play. I’ve been very, very pleased with just the mentality in that regard. And then they also know that we’re going to move people around, we’re going to try to create matchups, given the opponent. And I look at it like this, whatever it looks like going into the year, I hope we have a bunch of stars at the end of the season.”

That said, who could play a major role when it comes to rushing the passer? Generally speaking, Michigan has relied on, at least in the Jim Harbaugh era, the edge rushers more than the interior line to get to the quarterback. Mo Hurst in 2017 was the exception to that rule, and Minter is hoping that it will be a group effort from the entire defensive front this year.

“I hope that it’s multiple guys,” Minter said. “I think we have some edge players — Mike Morris, Braiden McGregor, Taylor Upshaw, Jaylen Harrell — that have the capabilities of being good rushers. I think Kris Jenkins, Mazi Smith have the ability to push from inside. I think Mason Graham, Cam Goode — new guy — all these guys have capabilities of being good rushers. It’ll fall into, situationally, who we have out there. But they’re all capable of taking advantage of opportunities. I think it’s our job to just make sure we try to put each guy in the best position to have that success.

“And then, the other thing is, because it might not be one guy, it’s given us the ability to maybe move people around more, maybe a guy that rushes a lot one week, drops the next week, and it sort of changes our tendency. So I think the guys are really bought into that. We want to have a high total at the end of the year. But we’d love it for it to be a lot of different people with multiple sacks.”

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Not only will the defensive front be counted on, but so, too, will the linebacking corps.

With Josh Ross now gone, the only household name comes in the form of freshman All-American Junior Colson, who was outstanding in his first year. But Nikhai Hill-Green has also started games, as has Michael Barrett. Kalel Mullings is splitting his duties between linebacker and running back, but also figures into the equation with the season forthcoming.

That said, Minter likes what he’s seen from all of the above, as he has from the two freshmen at the position.

“I think Junior’s having a really good camp so far — growing, understanding what we expect,” Minter said. “I think Nikhai is having a really good camp. I think Michael Barrett is having a really good camp. Kalel is, as you guys have heard, splitting a little bit of time. But he’s doing well at linebacker. So he’s a guy that can probably play, have roles on both sides.

“And then, the two freshmen, neither one were early enrollees — Jimmy Rolder and Deuce Spurlock. I think they have flashed, and you can tell why they were recruited here. They certainly have a lot on their plate of learning. But I’m pretty pleased with that group right now.”

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Jesse Minter says Michigan football DT freshman Kenneth Grant is ‘Mazi’s junior’

Can’t wait to see this guy ball out! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fresh off The Athletic’s ‘freaks’ list, which highlights the 100 most freakish athletes in college football, first-year defensive tackle Kenneth Grant has seen his share of buzz heading into the season.

Many, including us, have opined that he’s the mystery freshman that Jim Harbaugh spoke of as ‘an absolute gift from the football gods’ at Big Ten media days, and Bruce Feldman’s inclusion of Grant on his list all-but seemed to confirm it. But, what makes him so freakish?

On Thursday, new Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter met with the media to discuss what Grant brings to the table and why he’s been able to have such a quick ascent after arriving in Ann Arbor just two short months ago.

“He’s just another — he’s Mazi’s junior,” Minter said. “First and foremost, because of his attitude — very, very humble, very, very detailed. And his approach — which is extremely unique for a freshman that wasn’t here in the spring. He’s taken to everything Coach Elston has tried to teach him and get him to do, at a very impressive level for a young player.”

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Of course, learning from your position coach while being humble is one thing. But it takes a lot of work in summer conditioning also to get there.

Once he reported to camp, Grant came in as the team’s biggest player, according to the official roster, weighing in at a massive 357-pounds — a good 20-pounds heavier than Mazi Smith, the player to whom he’s being compared.

From what Minter’s seen, despite his size, like Smith, he has unparalleled agility, which is something that could help him see the field early and often.

“Same thing in the weight room. Over the course of June and July, you could sort of see him transform and take exactly what Coach Herb and the staff wanted him to do,” Minter said. “And then on top of that, he’s extremely gifted. He’s a 350-plus-pound human being that moves really well, that is really, really strong, naturally. And so, some of the things that we test those guys in, it’s pretty freakish to watch him go up the plyo steps, or move laterally, move side-to-side.

“So, blessed that we have him and I think he’s got a really, really high ceiling.”

Fans will get a chance to see Grant take the field likely some time in the Wolverines’ first three games. The season kicks off on Sept. 3, when Colorado State comes to The Big House.

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What defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said about Michigan football in fall camp

Excited to see this defense in action in a few weeks! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Pundits across the country are skeptical that Michigan football will be able to field a defense nearly as good as last year’s, despite the 2021 defense being the second-worst statistically in Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor.

Not only did the Wolverines lose Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, Dax Hill, Brad Hawkins, and Josh Ross, but they lost the architect of the new-look defense in Mike Macdonald.

Though there are some narratives about new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter — who oversaw the 119th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores last year — like Macdonald, he comes from the Baltimore Ravens coaching tree, where he coached defensive backs. Now he’s had a full spring and is knee-deep into fall camp with his defensive unit — one that Harbaugh recently said is ahead of where last year’s defense was.

Here’s everything he’s seeing from his side of the ball just over a week into fall camp.

New Michigan defensive coordinator already embracing Ohio State rivalry

Love his attitude toward the rivalry already! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Any time that a new head coach or coordinator comes in at either Michigan or Ohio State, it’s fair to ask of their understanding of the importance of the rivalry. Some coaches get it, but others didn’t embrace it — and their records reflected that, fairly or not.

Jim Harbaugh always embraced the rivalry, but it took him until 2021 to get his first win over the Buckeyes as a coach. Now, of course, the Wolverines would like to make it two in a row when the maize and blue head south on the last Saturday of November later this year.

But, if that’s to happen, winning a second-straight over OSU, it will likely mean that the defense is operating at a similar level as to last year with Mike Macdonald at the helm.

Macdonald’s gone, having gone back to the Baltimore Ravens, but Jesse Minter — who is also from the John Harbaugh coaching tree — has come in to replace him. Minter says that little will change on defense from a schematic standpoint. The Buckeyes are set to feature one of, if not the most, vaunted offenses in college football, so the onus will be on Minter to slow down their attack.

And already, he’s embracing his role, knowing that there’s one team on the schedule more important than others.

“It’s a huge piece of this position. It’s beat Ohio, I think we talk about it every day,” Minter said. “We do drills that are dedicated towards trying to win that game and I’m excited just to be a part of it. And I think the players, it was great for them to get that feeling and get to know what it felt like to win that game and certainly what it did for the season — catapult them into the Big Ten Championship, into the playoff.

“So yeah, the rivalry is a huge piece of college football and you don’t back down from it. So there’s a couple on the schedule that we got to make sure we handle our business.”

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Co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale knows just how important the pass defense will be again this year.

Last year, despite struggling on offense, seemingly, Ohio State managed 394 yards through the air. Clinkscale doesn’t want to see that happen again in 2022 — easier said than done with QB C.J. Stroud, as well as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and other talented wideouts returning.

“Well, I think because you had success, you gain confidence. Now the biggest thing is not to be complacent,” Clinkscale said. “And even though we have players who made plays last year, and some of those guys are returning in the secondary, we still feel that we can make more. We still feel like we can help the team more, we can leverage the ball better on the perimeter. We can continue to keep the big plays in front of us. We beat the team the last game of the year and we still gave up a lot of yards passing. We want to continue to minimize that, can’t give him any, any room to breathe. So we always want to keep focusing on that.”

Michigan fans will get a chance to see the revamped defensive attack on April 2, when the Wolverines host the annual spring game at The Big House.

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What Jesse Minter said about the Michigan football defense during spring ball

Feeling really good about the direction of the defense after hearing from him! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. At least, that’s what Jim Harbaugh and Michigan football are hoping.

With defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald returning to the Baltimore Ravens after just one year in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines went back to the Ravens well, in a way, by bringing in Vanderbilt DC Jesse Minter, who had spent his previous years in Baltimore as a secondary coach. Upon arriving at Michigan, the expectation is that he won’t change much from a schematic standpoint, given what the maize and blue were able to do in 2021 — beating Ohio State and winning the Big Ten.

Minter met with the media for the first time since arriving as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Here’s everything he had to say in his first press conference with the Wolverines.

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Media reactions to report that Michigan football found its new DC

What’s your reaction, #Michigan fans?

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Now that the dust has settled from Jim Harbaugh’s flirtation with the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL, Michigan football is onto filling its vacant staff positions.

While we await the appointment of an offensive coordinator — which is assumed to be an in-house hire — the Wolverines needed to find a replacement for defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who returned to the NFL as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator after one year in Ann Arbor.

Jim Harbaugh was on record saying that he wanted to keep the same scheme that Macdonald ran, so he went back to the Ravens’ well and tabbed Jesse Minter, per reports. Minter spent the last year overseeing the defense at Vanderbilt, but spent several years working under John Harbaugh and alongside Macdonald, the former Baltimore linebackers coach.

Now that the news has broken, here’s what media types are saying on Twitter about the hire.

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Report: Michigan football new defensive coordinator revealed

#Michigan looks like it’s got its man!

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One of the telltale signs of a successful season in college football is if your coordinators and/or assistant coaches get poached by higher ups. For Michigan football, that would mean the NFL.

Such was the case after the 2021 season, as one-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald returned to the Baltimore Ravens, where he was previously a linebackers coach, but now leading the defense in its entirety.

So, that meant that the Wolverines would have to find a new name to head up the defense, their third defensive coordinator in three years after Don Brown was let go in 2020. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Michigan is zeroing in on former Baltimore Ravens assistant Jesse Minter, who spent the last year as Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator.

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With Minter coming to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines theoretically would have consistency from a schematic standpoint. Minter was under consideration last year before Michigan hired Macdonald, and he comes from the Ravens, where he coached from 2017-20.

Minter worked his way up from being Indiana State’s linebackers coach to the Sycamores’ defensive coordinator, and then was Georgia State’s DC for four seasons before heading to the NFL. His last role with the Ravens was the defensive backs coach under Wink Martindale in 2020.

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Ravens fill coaching vacancies with Rob Ryan and Anthony Weaver

The Ravens have had several members of their coaching staff get hired away. They’ve hired Rob Ryan and Anthony Weaver to fill those jobs

The Baltimore Ravens have seen quite a few of their position coaches leave this offseason for greener pastures. While it’s the mark of a good franchise to have coaches get bigger opportunities elsewhere, it is something Baltimore has to account for if they want to improve. To help fill their vacancies, the Ravens turned to two familiar faces.

According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley and Dianna Russini, Baltimore has hired Rob Ryan as the inside linebackers coach and Anthony Weaver to be a run-game coordinator and defensive line coach. The pair will fill holes after linebackers coach Mike Macdonald joined Michigan’s staff as a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Joe Cullen became the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator.

If those new names sound awfully familiar, you’d be right. Rob Ryan is the twin brother of former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Weaver played defensive end for Baltimore after being the Ravens’ second-round selection in the 2002 NFL draft.

Ryan has bounced around the league but has been a defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, and Buffalo Bills. However, lately, Ryan has been the inside linebackers coach for the Washington Football Team in 2019. Weaver was most recently with the Houston Texans as their defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

It’s expected defensive backs coach Jesse Minter is headed to Vanderbilt to be their defensive coordinator. However, the move hasn’t been made official and the Ravens haven’t hired Minter’s replacement if he does leave.

At his end-of-season press conference, coach John Harbaugh noted that he expects offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Don Martindale back for the 2021 season. Both had earned interviews for head coaching opportunities last offseason but have been conspicuously absent from the job market this offseason. While that’s helpful toward Baltimore’s coaching continuity, filling so many position coaching jobs is a tough task for any team, especially since it’s expected the offseason will once again be done virtually.

We’ll see how Weaver and Ryan perform in their duties next season. But with the Ravens’ track record, both should be expected to excel.

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Report: Vanderbilt expected to hire Ravens DB coach Jesse Minter for defensive coordinator

The Ravens look like they’ll lose yet another coach as Vanderbilt is expected to hire DB coach Jesse Minter for defensive coordinator

The offseason has begun for the Baltimore Ravens. And after so much success over the last two seasons, Baltimore is once again a hotbed of coaching talent, potentially seeing a mass exodus as coaches get hired elsewhere.

Vanderbilt is expected to add Ravens defensive backs coach Jesse Minter as their new defensive coordinator, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

Though the season ended for Baltimore just a few days ago, the team has already lost one coach as Michigan hired now-former Ravens linebacker coach Mike Macdonald for their vacant defensive coordinator position. While neither defensive coordinator Don Martindale nor offensive coordinator Greg Roman have interviewed elsewhere this offseason, wide receivers coach David Culley was interviewed for the Houston Texans‘ open head coaching job.

With at least two defensive position coaches set to leave, Baltimore will have quite a lot of work to do this offseason to fill those positions. The Ravens have typically hired from within but with the potential for more coaches to leave in the coming weeks, Baltimore might need to extend their hiring searches outside of the Under Armour Performance Center.

Minter has been with the Ravens for four seasons with 2020 being his first season as the defensive backs coach. Minter has helped the likes of Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Marcus Peters, Tavon Young, and Anthony Averett develop into one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

This is ultimately the price of success for football teams. The Ravens saw the same thing happen throughout the 2000s as coaches kept getting hired elsewhere after a successful season in Baltimore. Part of the Ravens’ continued success has been their ability to replace coaches as well as they’ve done with players. We’ll see if that trend can continue this offseason.

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