The standard is high. The weight of expectations is enormous. So be it, says Wink Martindale, Michigan FootballThe 61-year-old defensive genius.
“I don’t think you’re worth a grain of salt if you don’t feel pressure as a coach every year, no matter where you are,” he said earlier this week.
But here at the reigning national champions’ headquarters in Ann Arbor, along State Street, everything seems bigger, more intense, different, maybe even entirely unique.
After all, Martindale is taking over a unit that ranked No. 1 last season in virtually every major category — from average points and yards allowed per game to turnover margin. The Wolverines, under Martindale protégé Jesse Minter, were a particularly stingy group, holding eight of their 15 opponents to one touchdown or less. His exploits included stopping Alabama in a dramatic goal-line victory in the Rose Bowl and suppressing Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Penix Jr. in his convincing clinching of the College Football Playoff championship at Washington.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: More glory — or potential danger — awaits Michigan football’s Sherrone Moore this season
In the turbulent aftermath of that seminal moment, head coach Jim Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers and the entire defensive staff migrated to the NFL. That prompted Harbaugh’s replacement, Sherrone Moore, to bring in a wave of new hires led by Martindale. Although Martindale spent the last 20 seasons in the pros honing his reputation as a bold, direct assistant, he was a logical choice to succeed Minter. He called himself the “OG,” or creator, of the Baltimore Ravens system that Minter ran and Mike Macdonald, another Martindale disciple, implemented in 2021 at the start of Michigan’s recent golden era.
“He’s detailed, organized and has a plan,” UM offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell praised of his defensive counterpart. “He then goes and executes.”
More than anyone else, Martindale understood the mechanics of the blue and maize Ferrari he inherited and was told not to crash it.
In his opinion, he was not only a competent operator of this high-performance machine; he was someone who could make everything work even better.
“I think there’s no question where the bar is set,” Martindale said. “And there is no doubt where I will set the standard: to be the best in the country.”
On paper, this appears to be an achievable goal considering a core of elite players occupy the starting 11. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, arguably the best defensive duo in the country, anchor the Wolverines at the line of scrimmage. All-American cornerback Will Johnson, a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 draft, helps protect the backfield. Then there’s Jaishawn Barham, a linebacker transfer from Maryland who should bolster Michigan at the second level after arriving in the offseason.
Talent is everywhere, including on the edges, where emerging pass rushers like Josaiah Stewart, Derrick Moore and TJ Guy are ready to pounce.
That left Michigan’s new coach optimistic about Martindale’s prospects.
“The defense will be fun to watch,” Moore said last week at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.
But will it be as solid as last year?
That’s the big question. Minter ensured there were few leaks by using a combination of zone coverage and simulated pressures that didn’t leave Michigan vulnerable in deep areas or require more than four defenders to rush the quarterback. Martindale has historically taken a different approach – blitzing frequently and asking his players to defend man-to-man.
“Whatever he wants us to do, whatever the flavor of the week is, we’re going to do it,” safety Quinten Johnson told the Free Press in June. “But I think it will be a healthy balance with what we’ve been doing the last few years.”
CHANGE OF LOCATION: How Wink Martindale adjusts the Michigan football defense, if anything, will be important
Whether it produces similar results is far from certain.
Martindale, as he quickly acknowledged, will not have the advantages his predecessor had. The offense is no longer the proven, reliable force it was the previous two seasons, when it built big leads, absorbed time and minimized the exposure of Minter’s unit. To this point, Michigan has defended 60 plays per game, the fewest among Power Five teams last year. The Wolverines’ near-perfect execution of the complementary football recipe helps explain why UM has won 40 of its last 43 games.
That run of success now appears to become Martindale’s burden to defend as the offense — which has a returning starter and no set starter at quarterback — takes shape.
Campbell scoffs at this idea, insulted by the suggestion that his unit would somehow have to be carried by Martindale and his group at the start of a challenging schedule.
“We’re going to execute the offense at a high level,” Campbell said at once.
“We are going to play great collective football”, he added in another.
That’s Martindale’s hope as he looks to maintain Michigan’s power on defense.
“But sometimes what you want isn’t what you get,” Martindale said. “There are different opponents, a different attack than (we) had. I was on the No. 1 defense and everything fell into place perfectly that season.
That’s what happened to the Wolverines in 2023, as they frustrated one team after another. Now, entering the 2024 season, the onus is on Martindale to maintain Michigan’s position at the top of the defensive rankings.
That’s real pressure, which happens to be the driving force of Martindale’s life’s work.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan football brought the pressure in 2023. Now it’s on Wink Martindale
