ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sometimes it’s what you know. Sometimes it’s who you know.
And in the case of Jesse Minter, it’s a bit of both that explains why he’s standing here in Schembechler Hall — less than six weeks after taking his new job as Michigan’s third defensive coordinator in three years — talking about the importance of … continuity?
That’s because he traded one Harbaugh brother for another as a boss this winter, while the Wolverines’ defense did the same with former Baltimore Ravens assistants: Mike Macdonald headed back to the NFL after just one season in Ann Arbor, while Minter agreed to replace him here.
So far, the transition has been a “seamless fit,” according to Jim Harbaugh, who certainly would know who to call if it wasn’t. And three weeks into his first spring practice with the Wolverines, Minter says much the same.
He’s not talking about starting over for the Wolverines, whose top-10 scoring defense last season played a key role in a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff berth. Instead, Minter’s talking about making a leap forward, which is what you’re supposed to do as a football coach once you’ve built a foundation.
“Yeah, I think that's fair,” Minter said. “I think one of my goals with the players was for those guys to feel like it was Year 2. I mean, that’s probably one of the reasons I'm here. … You want the guys to feel comfortable, and anytime you go from one to two — whether Mike was still here or I'm here — there are steps you can take, there are tweaks that you make, but definitely it’s year two of the system.”
So it’s all systems go, then, as Minter and a revamped coaching staff try to build off last year’s momentum, even as they try to replace a half-dozen starters on defense, including three potential NFL first-round draft picks led by Heisman Trophy finalist Aidan Hutchinson.
“We were good year last year, but it’s over with,” said Taylor Upshaw, a fifth-year senior defensive end. “We have a lot to prove.”
Plenty lost, but plenty back
The 38-year-old Minter does, too, as he steps in for Macdonald, widely hailed as a “genius” by Michigan’s players amid last season’s turnaround. Unlike Macdonald, this won’t be Minter’s first stint as a coordinator and primary play-caller, roles he took on a decade ago at Indiana State and Georgia State and then again last season at Vanderbilt. But it’s a challenge just the same for Minter, who spent four seasons on John Harbaugh’s Ravens staff working with the secondary.
“But I don’t think anybody has higher expectations for how we can play than me,” Minter said. “So I embrace it. And I think our players embrace it, because everything that’s been said and talked about this offseason is everything that we’ve lost. So I think as a group, we have a chip on our shoulder. We have a legacy to continue. And then we’ve got to build our own legacy.”
Minter says he has had plenty of conversations with Macdonald about the talent he’s inheriting and the territory he's stepping into at Michigan. But that’s nothing new, really. The two coaches talked often last fall, too, as both made the transition back to the college game. One that Minter’s probably better suited for, quite frankly, given his own coaching background and his embrace of the role that recruiting plays in the job.
Still, the NFL is a different animal, no doubt. The variation in schemes from week to week can be dramatic and the tempo can be problematic. Macdonald learned that the hard way, at times, most notably in the loss to Michigan State last fall.
So the goal is to have a defense that can shape-shift and adapt on the fly. The strength of the Ravens’ system is in its versatility and flexibility, and though we saw some of that in Macdonald's game-planning last season, much of what he did ultimately was to smartly play to his strengths.
“Last year, the playmakers were the edge guys — it was pretty clear,” Minter said. “And so the defense was built around that.”
This year, though, no one's expecting two players to combine for 25 sacks the way Hutchinson (14) and David Ojabo (11) did in 2021. Yet that's also why there's a good chance Michigan’s defense will look more like what we typically see in Baltimore, with the pressure often generated by a mix of well-disguised coverages and blitzes.
Potential playmakers
As for playmakers, Minter is quick to mention nose tackle Mazi Smith as a breakout candidate. Smith has the athletic traits to be more than simply a run-stuffer in the middle of that front. Minter also thinks Junior Colson, whose raw ability was on display as a true freshman last fall, “has a chance to be an elite linebacker here.”
Minter and co-coordinator Steve Clinkscale like the depth they’re building in the secondary, and both leave little doubt that cornerback Will Johnson, the five-star centerpiece of this year’s freshman class, will, as Clinkscale put it Wednesday, “play his way onto the field" this fall.
There are other key pieces Minter points to, whether it's Mike Morris and Upshaw on the field or new defensive line coach Mike Elston, who brings a strong track record with him from Notre Dame.
Minter’s father, Rick, a coaching veteran of some 45 years — including a decade as Cincinnati’s head coach — also was added to Harbaugh’s staff as a defensive analyst this spring. He moved to Nashville last year after his son took the job at Vanderbilt, and “he has always been a resource for me, wherever I've been at,” Jesse said. “So I'm thrilled to have him here.”
He's thrilled to be here himself, of course, even if the idea is to make it seem like he's been here for a while.
