While there has been a segment of the Michigan football fanbase hoping that head coach Sherrone Moore would move on from defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, that's not happening, at least according to what Moore told reporters on Monday.
Moore said that the Wolverines are "planning" on bringing Martindale back for another season via Chris Balas.
Sherrone Moore says they want Mikey Keene and Rod Moore back next year on medical redshirts. Also says they are planning on Wink Martindale being back next year. pic.twitter.com/Y0C8GDOMjK
— Chris Balas (@Balas_Wolverine) December 8, 2025
The first two seasons have been a mixed bag. Michigan football has ranked in the top 20 in scoring in each of the past two seasons, but allowed 24 points or more four times this season. It felt like Ohio State could do whatever it wanted. The defense was great in 2024 against OSU, but that was more about Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant than Wink.
What bothers me the most is that USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Nebraska each scored 27 points on the Wolverines. Northwestern, Maryland, and Michigan State each hit 20, too. Hopefully, there will be some adjustments because if Wink trots out the same stuff we saw this season, with blitz after blitz not working, it's hard to see how the defense will be good enough to beat Ohio State in 2025.
A new coach for Bryce Underwood
One thing that would help is the offense being more functional. It took a step last season, but it struggled against top-25 opponents. The Wolverines scored 11 points per game against ranked opponents this season. That's an area that needs to improve.
Sherrone Moore said Michigan is “definitely” looking at bringing in a quarterbacks coach/another voice to help Bryce Underwood grow. pic.twitter.com/vEvi9ufbTS
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 8, 2025
On that front, Sherrone Moore said the program is looking to add a quarterback coach to help with the development of Underwood. That feels like the right move, especially after he saw the field so poorly against Ohio State.
We'll see how it works out, but the Wolverines need to be better on offense and defense next season. Coaches will matter, but more players are needed, too. Moore did say Rod Moore could come back on a medical redshirt, along with Mikey Keene.
Nothing is finalized yet.