Joel Klatt believes there is a lot of potential for Michigan in the hiring of longtime assistant Don “Wink” Martindale to serve as the next defensive coordinator.

Sherrone Moore has assumed the post as the head coach in Ann Arbor, but his task is not an easy one. He must replace a roster that lost 18 players to the NFL Combine and a defensive coaching staff that lost essentially every key member to the NFL.

Martindale at least answers the question at DC, and Klatt explains maintaining a similar philosophy is a huge win for Moore and the Wolverines:

“We all know how successful that style and philosophy was for Michigan over the last 3 years,” said Klatt. “Run wall, hard edges, hybrid players in coverage. That’s the philosophy. Reduced down to its most minimal form, that’s the philosophy.”

While Martindale spent his last two seasons as the DC for the New York Giants, he previously spent nearly a decade on the Baltimore Ravens staff of John Harbaugh, including 4 seasons as the DC. In that time span, Martindale helped tutor previous Michigan DCs Mike Macdonald (now the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks) and Jesse Minter.

“Philosophy-wise, I don’t think a lot is going to change. You can claim that Wink Martindale is more blitz-heavy than what Minter was last year. But what Martindale is going to do is appropriate to win games. The crucial part is they have been recruiting to and developing to a very specific system and philosophy and they get to stay in that very specific system and philosophy,” Klatt explained. “…He’s also a veteran and I think that’s important for Sherrone.”

The challenges that do exist include the heavily depleted staff of assistant coaches, and Klatt admitted that is a big challenge for Moore and Martindale to undertake. Still, the continuation of philosophy is important for the program to continue to build on.

The major turnover is the big reason why Michigan is outside the top 5 in the early national championship odds for the 2024 season. Fans can utilize Tradition’s BetMGM Michigan promo code and links to track all the odds and line movement throughout the offseason.