Michigan Football DC Wink Martindale is the OG!
The defending national champion Michigan Wolverines have a new defensive coordinator as Wink Martindale has been hired to replace Jesse Minter, who was brilliant during his short time in Ann Arbor. With head coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, and other players and coaches leaving for the NFL, the Wolverines have plenty of question marks heading into the 2024 season.
Wink Martindale’s Vision for the Wolverines
During a recent interview on an episode of “In the Trenches,” a Michigan Athletics podcast hosted by Jon Jansen, Martindale spoke about what he intends to do with the Wolverines and the experience he brings to the staff. He also revealed what he told the Wolverines defensive players to make them feel comfortable and confident.
Building on a Strong Foundation
“I think the biggest thing is there’s been some verbiage changes because of the up-tempo of college football,” Martindale said. “You have to make a lot of calls just one-word things. But they kept the foundation of what we all put in together back in 2018. And that’s fun to see it work. And it’s not just worked for those two; it’s worked for D’Anton Lynn, who’s at SC now, Zach Orr, who’s the defensive coordinator at Baltimore. There’s a lot of guys that have come up through our tree, if you will, that they’re having a lot of success with this system.
Martindale’s Message to the Players
“It’s like I told the players: In all humility, I’m the OG of the system, so we’re gonna be just fine. We’re all excited about it. It’s gonna be fun to see with the new crew that we have defensively on the coaching staff. I tell them every year it evolves to everybody on the staff of what we do with this system, so it’s all of our system — starting with Sherrone.
“It’s one of those things that I think you have the advantage being at the University of Michigan because of the offense, and how Sherrone runs the offense. I think that puts us in the right mindset to play great defense, because you better be physical if you’re going to play at the University of Michigan. It starts with the guys up front, the D-line, and we’ve got some players.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- Wink Martindale has been hired as the new defensive coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines, taking over from Jesse Minter.
- Martindale plans to build on the defensive system established by his mentees, Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter, while making adjustments for the up-tempo nature of college football.
- He has expressed confidence in the system and the coaching staff, emphasizing the importance of physicality and teamwork in maintaining Michigan’s defensive prowess.
Bottom Line
With the arrival of Wink Martindale as the new defensive coordinator, the Michigan Wolverines are poised to continue their tradition of strong defensive play. Martindale’s experience and confidence in the system he helped build are sure to be invaluable assets as the team navigates the challenges of the upcoming season.
