Tag: Jesse Minter

Why Michigan football CB Josh Wallace’s interception was overturned

Makes sense, but still stupid. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It appeared the rout was even more on than anticipated when Michigan football looked to have its second interception of the day on Saturday.

In tight coverage, new Michigan cornerback Josh Wallace turned on a dime to face the quarterback. As the ball hit off the wide receiver’s hands, Wallace corralled it for what looked like an impressive pick.

However, as the Wolverine offense took the field, play was stopped by an officials’ time out. The interception was waived off, and the East Carolina offense remained on the field.

So what happened? Why was it deemed an incomplete pass? Acting head coach Jesse Minter shared more about the officials’ thinking.

“Yeah, so the receiver made contact with the ball while he was out of bounds first, before Josh really had control of it,” Minter said. “So because he was touching out of bounds and the ball — Josh was actually in bounds, but it was deemed out of bounds because the receiver was touching it while he was out of bounds.”

The dumb rules aside, the play that wasn’t was a solid one by the former UMass player who transferred in late this offseason.

With Will Johnson out with an injury, Wallace was tapped as the No. 1 cornerback for the Wolverines on Saturday. Along with former walk-on Keshaun Harris, who started in the opposite position, Minter believes the duo did a good job in Week 1.

“I thought Josh did a great job,” Minter said. “I was confident in him. And he stepped up to the challenge. I thought he and Keshaun Harris, both, like just steady, consistent, pretty sticky coverage. Overall, I thought Mike (Sainristil) set the tone early with a great interception, something that we want to try to get more of. And so I felt Mike led the group and I thought the rest of the guys really just fell in line and played capable of the way we needed them to play.”

Overall, Michigan’s secondary gave up 132 yards passing, but 66 of those yards came in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. It was an impressive debut from the entire defensive unit, which will get more work next week when the Wolverines host UNLV in Week 2.

Uncertainty in a few positions doesn’t faze Michigan football DC Jesse Minter

A few unsettled positions, yet he sounds as cool as a cucumber. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has a lot on his plate going into Week 1.

Not only does he have to field a defense with some positions not exactly settled, while having to sub in players who weren’t anticipated to start, but will given some injuries, but he’ll also have to oversee the whole team with head coach Jim Harbaugh suspended. Taking over the reins for the season opener as the interim head coach, Minter will be balancing the game-day operations with ensuring that his unit is in peak form right out of the gates.

But Minter is calm, cool, and collected, regardless of everything being thrown at him.

Part of the reason is that it’s his second year at the defensive helm, and the third year of the defense overall, but it’s also because he has familiarity with what his players can do, and he’s more focused on fitting the defense with their skills, and not conforming the players to the scheme.

Still, there’s a lot to learn when the live bullets start flying, but given his own comfortability in his role, he’s confident that the season will get out to a great start.

“There’s a comfort level with myself and just a lot of the returning players that was a little bit more unknown going into the season,” Minter said. “I tell the guys this: you build up equity with each other when you go through battles and big games and all that. So there’s a lot of guys back that have a pretty good idea how they’ll respond in certain situations. There’s another plethora of faces that maybe have been around, but haven’t been in those moments that I’m excited to see how they respond.

“Just to compare, I just think as a staff, we’ve done a better job of emphasizing the things that we think are really important to playing good defense that maybe aren’t scheme related, and things like that, that our guys can control. We’ve really, really pushed the envelope on those. And I’m confident that it’ll pay off and we’ll come out of the gates ready to play.”

Minter is working through the 30,000-foot view while also not exactly knowing through the week who his starters will be at a handful of positions.

There are rumors that Will Johnson may not play at cornerback due to injury, all while there’s been uncertainty as to who will start opposite him. There are myriad options for the starting edge rusher role, but no clear-cut starters, outside of incumbent Jaylen Harrell.

Minter threw out a lot of names of those who could end up seeing major playing time on Saturday against East Carolina, confident that any number of them are up for the task.

“Those will be finalized this week,” Minter said. “The great thing is, especially on the edge, I really do feel like we got multiple starters at positions. We’ll let that shake out through this week and maybe even through the first couple of games.

“I think Josh Wallace has done a great job at corner but I also think, you know, (Ja’Den) McBurrows, Jyaire Hill, a lot of these guys, Keshaun Harris — that is still ongoing as we get ready for this game. But really look forward to seeing all those guys get a chance to play early and normally like all these guys will get game reps, I think over time somebody will rise and really, really put their stamp on that position and will be excited to see who it is.”

Michigan announces odd way of covering for Jim Harbaugh during suspension

Weird follows weird… No surprise here #GoBucks

As we all know, [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag]’s main rival’s head coach, [autotag]Jim Harbaugh,[/autotag] will miss the first three games of this season due to a self-imposed suspension for allegedly violating NCAA rules.

What we didn’t know was who will be replacing him during that three game stretch. We do now, and it’s quite the odd way of doing things. The Wolverines’ official “X” account, the app formerly known as Twitter, announced that multiple of their assistants will share the duties.

Defensive coordinator, [autotag]Jesse Minter, [/autotag] will take the first game against East Carolina while special teams coach, [autotag]Jay Harbaugh[/autotag] and running backs coach [autotag]Mike Hart,[/autotag] will each have a half as the head coach while facing UNLV. Offensive coordinator, [autotag]Sherrone Moore,[/autotag] will round out the weird coaching carrousel against Bowling Green.

Honestly, given how odd that their head coach is, it makes total sense that the Wolverines would do this. To me it just doesn’t make any sense. They won’t be challenged at all thanks to their ongoing scheduling of cupcake non-conference games, but this is just a little on the strange side of things.

Typically, one coach takes on the responsibilities while the head coach isn’t available, but not Michigan. TTUN always has to make it different and here it is again, trying to reinvent the wheel when there is no need for it.

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Everything Jesse Minter said about Michigan football’s defense in fall camp

Really enlightening stuff here! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While the Michigan football offense is poised to take a major step forward with a bevy of returning players, the defense has increasingly high expectations entering 2023.

While there were more losses on that side of the ball than on the offensive side, there’s a lot of talent waiting to step in. But there are also a share of questions.

On Thursday, Michigan football defensive coordinator Jesse Minter met with the media seven practices into fall camp. He discussed several key topics, including the battle for the second cornerback position, the pass rush, depth across the board, and what he’s seen from individual players. Here is everything he had to say.

CBS Sports: Michigan football DC Jesse Minter poised for a head coaching job

Enjoy him while you have him, #Michigan fans!

David Cobb with CBS Sports came out with a list of six coordinators who are poised to land a Power Five head coaching job in the upcoming season or two.

First on his list was Clemson‘s new offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley, who just signed with the Tigers after a sensational year with TCU. Riley helped lead the Horned Frogs to their first College Football Playoff final.

The second coordinator on Cobb’s list was Michigan’s defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Minter came to Michigan last year after Mike Macdonald left to become the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator.

Michigan ranked No. 5 nationally in total defense last season, allowing just 292.1 yards per game. The Wolverines also finished in the top 10 for both yards allowed per rush and yards allowed per pass attempt. Not bad for Minter’s first season on the job. He arrived after a one-year stint at Vanderbilt and time with the Baltimore Ravens, where he worked for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John. Minter, 40, began his career with entry-level jobs at Notre Dame and Cincinnati, has NFL and SEC experience and is now proving to be an elite defensive coordinator for one of the sport’s top brands. All signs point toward Minter becoming a coach of interest to Power Five schools with openings so long as the Wolverines sustain their defensive standard in 2023.

The Wolverines’ defense didn’t skip a beat last season going from Macdonald to Minter. Even after losing Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo and Dax Hill to the NFL draft, Michigan reloaded on defense, and with the scheme not changing much at all — the Wolverines were a top-five defense.

Minter received NFL interest after his first season with Michigan. The Philadelphia Eagles reached out and talked with Minter about coming there to become the DC, but Minter is back in Ann Arbor for another year.

It’s hard to argue if Michigan can replicate what it did last year with Minter as the defensive coordinator, Power Five teams should be calling Minter to come talk with them. Minter held Ohio State to 23 points — the third-lowest scoring output of the season from the Buckeyes — and that is a feat of its own, especially at the Horseshoe.

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What Jesse Minter said about Michigan football defense on In the Trenches podcast

Can’t wait to see what the defense does this year! #GoBlue

Michigan football is one of the few teams in all of college football that has a legitimate chance to win it all in 2023. With J.J. McCarthy returning as the starting quarterback, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards both starring in the offensive backfield, and loads of options along the offensive line, that side of the ball looks to be quite formidable.

The defensive side of the ball has a few more personnel losses, with Mazi Smith, Mike Morris, DJ Turner, and Gemon Green all entering the NFL draft while Eyabi Okie followed Biff Poggi to Charlotte. So what does second-year defensive coordinator Jesse Minter think about his side of the ball?

Minter spoke with Jon Jansen on the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast on Wednesday and broke down what his defense did in spring ball while looking forward to the fall.

Here is everything he had to say.

Why Michigan coaches expect EDGE Braiden McGregor will be ‘dominant’

#Michigan is Edge Rush U! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jesse Minter is hoping the next man up will be the next great Michigan football pass rusher. Generally in the Jim Harbaugh era, once a Wolverine EDGE moves onto the NFL — usually in the first three rounds of the draft — his replacement is of the same, if not better, caliber.

Harbaugh’s first two defensive ends, Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley, went in the first and third rounds, respectively. Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich, the same. Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson were both first-rounders. David Ojabo was a second-rounder, but would have been in the first if it weren’t for a pro day Achilles injury. We’ll see where Mike Morris goes, but he’ll likely be a day two guy.

The next man up appears to be senior Braiden McGregor. McGregor had an ACL tear in his senior year of high school and when he finally got a chance to see the field his sophomore season, he was behind a lot of talent. He started coming on strong late last year, but now the Wolverines need him to step up and into a starting role.

Minter, the team’s defensive coordinator entering his second-year, says he has the capability of taking over a game, it’s just about consistency.

“Braiden McGregor, man, there’s a guy that when you talk about the process of development, everybody’s sometimes on a different trajectory,” Minter said. “They’re sometimes injury-related, confidence-related people-in-front-of-you-related. And so he’s had a career here, where — dealt with injuries, dealt with the No. 2 pick in the draft being in front of him, other guys.

“And so I think he’s trusted the process here, and he’s continued to develop at a really fast, high rate, especially coming off what he’s dealt with prior. So I’m really, really excited about Braiden, I think he has a chance to be a dominant player. And I think the challenge for him is he does it in spurts. And he knows this, and it’s to take over a game, and he has that capability. So I’m excited to see that happen.”

The other candidate to step up is Josaiah Stewart, the transfer from Coastal Carolina. Stewart had 12.5 sacks two seasons ago, but just 2.5 last year. Minter notes that he’s not quite the same type of edge rusher as the others on the roster, and is looking forward to see how he acclimates in the spring game and beyond.

“Josaiah is a tremendous addition, first of all, just from his personality and fit into the culture, the way he works, the way he attacks things,” Minter said. “It’s like he’s been here. So when that happened, you pick up a guy that, one, he practices really hard. He’s got a really unique skill set. He’s different than some of our edge rushers with his measurables. And so he’s a — just really excited about him and he’s had a productive spring. I think if he talked to some of our guys, they would say he’s stood out at times. And looking forward to seeing that on Saturday in more of a game environment, and also seeing that in the fall as well.”

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Top 10 quotes from Michigan football coordinators at spring presser

Some really good stuff from both Jesse Minter and Sherrone Moore! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football had a rare afternoon where the media got the opportunity to meet with both coordinators on Tuesday.

Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had their first availabilities in 2023, as the last time they were made available was on media day for the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, one day before the Wolverines took the field against TCU. On Tuesday, they touched on a variety of issues that impact their side of the ball, from Moore discussing being the sole OC, to what Minter learned from the loss against the Horned Frogs, and much more.

Here are our 10 favorite quotes from the duo from the 35 minutes they were made available.

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

The defense is certainly reloading. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Many didn’t give Michigan football a chance to do much on the defensive side of the ball in 2022. With a new defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, and without Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, the narrative was the Wolverines would take a big step back.

Yeah, about that.

The Wolverines excelled in every game but the final one, and now it’s Year 2 of Minter at the helm of the defense. So, what does that look like? Who’s standing out, and how has Minter approached it?

He met with the media on Tuesday to discuss how his unit has looked during spring ball. Here is everything he had to say.

Jesse Minter isn’t going anywhere

Good news for the maize and blue! #GoBlue

Michigan football fans can rest easy now that as much of the gang is running it back.

After winning the Big Ten Championship and making it to the College Football Playoff semifinal in 2021, the Wolverines had a tumultuous 2022 offseason. Both coordinators departed, prompting an overhaul of the coaching staff.

After similar on the field results in 2022, it appeared Michigan football would have no coaching turnover. However, co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was dismissed after allegations of computer access crimes and linebackers coach George Helow was replaced by prodigal son Chris Partridge, who had served on the staff before departing to be the Ole Miss defensive coordinator.

That was all well and good. However, as spring ball was starting, the Philadelphia Eagles called upon Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter when they were looking to fill their DC vacancy.

However, on Tuesday, that’s no longer a concern. Philadelphia hired Seattle’s Sean Desai for the post.

With Minter still in the fold and Sherrone Moore elevated to sole offensive coordinator responsibilities, the maize and blue are about as close to bringing back the staff from last year as possible. That is impressive considering the two-year track record would likely see more depart given the success and other teams looking to promote in hopes to replicate said success.

On Thursday, Jim Harbaugh commented on the NFL being interested in him and other coaches, saying this is a good thing for Michigan football.

“Like we said, I mean, it’s it’s an ongoing thing. Something that we treat as a really positive thing, that NFL franchises, NFL teams have a lot of interest in all of our personnel, coaches, players, staff,” he said. “If somebody in our organization feels like that’s going to benefit them professionally and personally, then we say have that — we don’t hold anybody back. I think with the players, it’s got to be so many over the last eight years. It’s got to be in the 80s or 90s over eight years, players that are in the NFL.

“Coaches, I think I’ve lost count how many coaches have gone to the NFL from here. Staff members saying — right now Jesse Minter’s considering that. we just don’t hold them back. I could tell you all the ones that — I mean, calls come in. Calls come in. Calls are taken. Those conversations are had. There’s a few coaches on our staff that those calls came in and they decided to stay here. On one, there’s another. People do what they think is best for them professionally, personally.”

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