Tag: Jesse Minter

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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REPORT: Philadelphia Eagles have interviewed Jesse Minter for their DC vacancy

Here we go again.

It appears the Michigan coaches to the NFL watch have not yet concluded.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, lost both of their coordinators after a stellar season.

The Eagles are currently looking to replace both positions, but a Michigan tie surfaced on Tuesday morning. Mike Garafolo, with the NFL Network, tweeted a list of names that interviewed for the Eagles defensive coordinator job.

On that list was Michigan’s current defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter. The timeline on which Minter was interviewed is unknown since this was the first known reporting on the job interview.

Minter was hired in 2022 after Mike Macdonald was hired away to the Baltimore Ravens after coaching one season in Ann Arbor in 2021.

Not only was Michigan’s defense one of the best in college last season, but it seemingly didn’t miss a beat from the 2021 squad which featured Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.

The Wolverines had the No. 6 defense last year allowing 292.1 yards per game and the No. 7 scoring defense in 2022 which allowed 16.1 points per game.

While it may be Minter’s dream to coach in the NFL, this isn’t particularly good timing for Michigan football. Spring practice began on Monday and the maize and blue would presumably rush to find a replacement — although Steve Clinkscale would make sense — if Minter is offered and accepts the job with the Eagles.

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Everything Michigan football DC Jesse Minter said about TCU, College Football Playoff

Really incredible, insightful stuff here. #GoBlue

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — The biggest task for Michigan football in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is the defense finding a way to slow the TCU Horned Frog offense.

Led by quarterback Max Duggan, TCU has a variety of weapons — from wide receiver Quentin Johnston to running back Kendre Miller. This will be one of the top offenses the Wolverines have seen all year.

So how does defensive coordinator Jesse Minter see it?

Minter met with the media for 45 minutes on Wednesday and shared his thoughts on a variety of topics, from his transition from Vanderbilt to Ann Arbor, to specific players, to what he’s seen from TCU on tape. Here is everything he had to say.

What Jesse Minter said about the Michigan football defense in Week 12

Need to keep it going the next two weeks! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football has, statistically, the best defense in the country after 11 weeks of college football.

The Wolverines are No. 1 in total defense, No. 1 in run defense, No. 1 in opponent first downs, No. 4 in pass defense, No. 1 in scoring defense, No. 11 in opponent third-down conversions, No. 2 in long scrimmage plays allowed, No. 1 in long rushing plays allowed, No. 3 in long passing plays allowed, and No. 12 in sacks. Last year’s unit, which was considered to be among the nation’s best, ended up being No. 20 in total defense and No. 8 in scoring defense.

Jesse Minter’s group is humming, and with the top rusher in the nation coming to town on Saturday in Illinois’ Chase Brown, and Ohio State next week, the Wolverines will need to keep the momentum going.

Minter met with the media on Wednesday, in what’s likely the last assistant coach press conference of the regular season, to discuss the state of the Michigan defense. Here is everything he had to say.

Michigan football assistant named to Broyles Award nominee list

If the next two weeks go well, the award is as good as his. #GoBlue

A year ago, Michigan football produced the top-named assistant in all of college football as former offensive coordinator Josh Gattis won the coveted Broyles Award. The Broyles Award is given to the nation’s top assistant coach, and while there certainly could have been a case made for former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, as well, Gattis earned the prize of the top coach in the country.

Could another Michigan football assistant take home the prize for a second-straight year?

The thought when Macdonald departed for the Baltimore Ravens was that the Wolverine defense would take a massive step back. However, the maize and blue are excelling on all fronts in that unit, currently rated the No. 1 total defense, the No. 1 scoring defense, the No. 4 pass defense, and No. 1 run defense in the country through Week 11. The Wolverines also lead with the fewest amount of first downs allowed thus far this season. All of this is a credit to Jesse Minter, who oversaw Vanderbilt’s defense last year after going to the Commodores via the Baltimore Ravens.

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And Minter has found himself a nominee for the Broyles Award in 2022.

Should the Wolverines manage to hold Illinois running back Chase Brown and then the Ohio State offense at bay, there’s a good chance that Minter would earn the award this year. But those are both big ifs.

Fellow former Michigan assistant, Shaun Nua, is a nominee in his first year coaching at USC.

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Jesse Minter explains why Mazi Smith has been so indispensable for the Michigan football defense

He’s not getting the national credit he deserves. #GoBlue

Ballyhooed all offseason as the nation’s biggest freak in college football, the accolades have been quiet for Michigan football defensive tackle Mazi Smith. But, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a vital, key piece to the nation’s top-ranked defense.

‘The tip of the spear,’ Smith has been pivotal for the Wolverines, shutting down run lanes, taking up double and sometimes triple teams, and creating opportunities for everyone around him. If Michigan didn’t have Smith in the middle of the defense, likely, we’d be telling a different story about how good the overall unit is.

Appearing on the Inside Michigan Football radio show with Jon Jansen, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter shared just how indispensable Smith has been for the defensive front, and how the Wolverines work to deploy him when he’s out on the field.

“Man, he does everything,” Minter said. “He takes on double teams. You can’t single-block him. So we try to put him, at times, over centers and dare them to single-block him. We moved him some more this year. I think he’s really, really athletic. I think his movements have been one of the things that improved the most from last year.

“But the thing I’m really proud of is he owns his role. And you know, I would love for Mazi to have six sacks and 20 TFLs because he’s that type of guy, that type of player. He knows that’s not always going to be the case. And he’s he does a lot of the dirty work and him and Kris Jenkins, Mason (Graham) and those guys, and he owns it and he does a great job.

“He’s a leader. I think the most important stat for Mazi is that we have a great run defense and it’s come to fruition with him, so far. So, couldn’t be happier for him and more proud of how he’s played.”

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Smith hasn’t been the sole star in the middle, as Kris Jenkins and Mason Graham have also come on strong. Considering the personnel losses from a year ago, Minter had to rely on different faces than former coordinator Mike Macdonald had, and as such, he’s presiding over the top-ranked defense in the country through 10 games.

Minter says that those players have not only created more opportunities for those around them, namely the edge rushers, but they’ve been productive in their own rights.

“They’re just so powerful and it’s ways to try to create pass rush at times for those guys,” Minter said. “Our whole front’s done a good job of setting each other up with some of the picks and some of the games and twists. And it’s something that we kind of wanted to take another step in this year. Whereas last year, you had a couple of really good edge guys and it’s like how can we create rushes from all angles of the defense?

“And those guys enjoy it, they’re good at it. It’s when you’re 330-pounds and move like Mazi and have that power he can do a lot of different things in there and it’s been good to see.”

The defensive front will have their hands full this week with Chase Brown and the Illinois Fighting Illini coming to Ann Arbor on Saturday. Kickoff will be at noon EST and the game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

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Jesse Minter explains how Michigan football deals with tempo

It’s been a huge turnaround from last year! #GoBlue

It was a major issue a year ago, whenever the Michigan football defense faced tempo offenses. This year, it’s been an amazing turnaround, under first-year Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The issues came to a head in 2021 when the maize and blue faced rival Michigan State on the road, as the Spartans used tempo to keep Michigan off-guard. However, this season, it’s been a vastly improved element of the nation’s top-ranked defense, as the Wolverines haven’t just been prepared for teams who run fast-paced offenses but have found ways to hurt offenses when they substitute.

But how does Minter approach substituting when teams go tempo? That element was what got his predecessor, Mike Macdonald, in heaps of trouble. He says it’s all about waiting for the right moments to make changes to who’s out on the field.

He shared his philosophy with Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football radio show by Learfield IMG.

“My understanding is, when the offense does sub, so whether it’s running back for running back or they go from one personnel to the other, the ref will stand over the ball for roughly two and a half to three seconds,” Minter said. “And, if you have to make a quick decision of whether you want to sub on defense, to one either match their personnel, so we might go from base to nickel, or we might be in nickel, and just want to do a one for one or a two for two or three for three or even like the whole front four — and so it’s a split second timing at times and sometimes when you play a tempo team, you plan for that. So it’s like, hey, they don’t sub a lot but when they do you have an opportunity to get a fresh guy in No. 1, to actually slow down the pace of their play. Yeah, for your guys that are out there to kind of catch their breath.

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“And so I thought it was a process for us. There was a couple opportunities early in the year that we learned from where we may have had a chance to — there’s times where an offense coordinator may decide with 10 seconds on the play clock to go from 11 to 12 personnel, and if you decide to sub, you can really put them in a tough bind. And so, we’ve had a couple of those that have worked out for us. But ultimately, it’s about No. 1, us matching personnel, No. 2, trying to slow down the game when it allows and just take advantage of the rules. If that they are what they are, we got to — there’s times where we can go 10 straight plays without subbing. So when we do get that opportunity to sub we need to take advantage.”

It’s made a world of difference thus far. We’ll see if that success continues in the final two regular season games coming up.

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Why Mike Morris has emerged as Michigan football’s dominant edge rusher

He’s getting better and better as the weeks go by. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — All offseason, the media trope about Michigan football was that it could not replicate the success of the 2021 defense due to having lost both Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo up front. The Wolverines repeatedly insisted that edge rusher Mike Morris was ready for the spotlight, yet the narrative persisted.

Fast forward seven games, and that narrative has died.

Morris leads the team now with five sacks, which is the third-best in the conference overall and the best from the edge rusher position. Even when he hasn’t gotten home, he’s impacted plays, and he appears to be improving on a weekly basis.

In short, he’s everything that Michigan thought he could be when it compared him to the aforementioned Hutchinson.

“I think he’s just a phenomenal human being, who I think over the course of the season has sort of just evolved into the guy that we all thought and hoped he could be,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “He knows how to use his strengths and he’s a very unique athlete. That combination of height, length, power, athleticism, savviness as a dropper even at times. I think he’s a very unique player.

“And he’s one of those types of guys that he’s good at so many things. I think at some times, it’s like, ‘Oh, we can do this with him, we can do that with him.’ But he’s also a really good one-on-one rusher. And I think that’s what he’s proven to me. I think the most (he’s improved) is he has a great ability to win one on ones using his tools and what he’s good at a really consistent level. And, couldn’t be happier with how he’s been playing.”

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Morris had bulked up this offseason, having gone from 278-pounds to 292. While it has given him added versatility to play inside if needed, considering he hadn’t lost his step, the Wolverines have still played him mostly outside.

Ultimately, Minter says, what’s led to Morris’ emergence has been the simplification of what the defense has asked him to do. That doesn’t mean they aren’t asking a lot of him, but the more he’s been in, the more he’s shown. So, given that, he’s being put in a position to succeed with more and more now being added to his plate.

“I think he’s still the guy that we love to do a lot of stuff with. And he’s good at a lot of different things,” Minter said. “But, I just think he’s proven himself and I said at the beginning of the year, if there’s a guy that proves himself as a really good one-on-one rusher, then it’s my job, our job as coaches, to continue to find ways to create matchups for that particular player. And Mike’s a guy that’s done that so it’s fun to try to figure out week to week where to best utilize him and where the best to rush him from or who to match him up with. So that’s been fun. And he’s certainly thriving in that in that role.”

With Michigan State coming up on Saturday night, Morris will certainly be needed if the defense is to get QB Payton Thorne off his spot. That game will take place at 7:44 p.m. EDT at The Big House.

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