College Football

Michigan reportedly hiring Wink Martindale, ex-NFL assistant, as DC

Updated Feb. 9, 2024 8:44 a.m. ET

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Sherrone Moore may have taken over for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan after he left for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, but Moore is taking a page out of his former boss' playbook when it comes to his most important assistant coach hire.

After Jesse Minter followed Harbaugh to the Chargers earlier this week, Moore appears to be going back to John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens defense to find the next Wolverines defensive coordinator. Michigan is reportedly hiring former Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale for the position, ESPN reported on Friday morning.

Martindale was Baltimore's linebackers coach from 2012-2017 and defensive coordinator from 2018-2021, leading a staff that included Minter and Mike Macdonald as assistants. After parting ways with the Ravens in 2021 (following which now-Seattle Seahawks head coach Macdonald returned from Michigan to replace him), Martindale spent the past two seasons as New York Giants' defensive coordinator. He resigned in January amid reported friction with head coach Brian Daboll.

Martindale is considered one of the brightest defensive minds in football with a long, successful track record, though he has not worked in college football since 2003. 

However, his last college job provided him with some familiarity that could help him land at Michigan. Martindale served as linebackers coach at Western Kentucky under then-head coach Jack Harbaugh — Jim and John's father, who also served as Michigan associate head coach at points during Jim's tenure in Ann Arbor.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen was also reportedly a candidate for the Michigan DC job.

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