3 thoughts on Wink Martindale being hired as Michigan football DC
Sherrone Moore continues to build his Michigan football coaching staff and on Friday morning, he made his most significant hire yet, as it was reported by Adam Schefter and confirmed by others that Wink Martindale will take over as the Wolverines' defensive coordinator.
Michigan’s past two defensive coordinators, Minter and Mike Macdonald, ran a version of Wink Martindale’s defense, with similar concepts and terminology. Thus, the adjustment for the players might not be quite as dramatic as if another NFL coach took over. https://t.co/BD6uQxFtWI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2024
Martindale has spent the past six seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator. He worked under John Harbaugh in Baltimore and was the DC when Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter coached there. They were running a version of Martindale's system the past three seasons.
Wink was with the New York Giants the past two seasons as their defensive coordinator before there was a falling out. With a ton of NFL talent on the roster, this is a golden opportunity for Martindale. It's also a great hire by Moore, who wanted continuity with the defensive scheme. He also wanted someone with an NFL background. There are some downsides, such as recruiting, however, this move is a win on the whole, and here are three thoughts.