Michigan football coach using NFL ties to improve the defense

When Jim Harbaugh needed a new defensive coordinator in 2021, he turned to his brother John Harbaugh, the coach of the Baltimore Ravens, for a rising star. After one season with the Wolverines, former DC Mike MacDonald returned to the Ravens. Subsequently, Jim Harbaugh enlisted another ex-Ravens staffer, current Michigan football coach and defensive play-caller, Jesse Minter, who is entering his second season in the Maize and Blue. According to Minter, who spoke with the media on Thursday, he frequently leverages his NFL connections when refining the Michigan defense.

Michigan football coach using NFL ties to improve the Wolverines’ elite defense

This year’s Michigan football coaching staff boasts numerous ties to the NFL. From Jim Harbaugh to Jesse Minter and more, many members of the Wolverines’ staff have experienced the next level of play; in fact, Minter recently revealed that he and Mike MacDonald stay in touch, regularly collaborating to fine-tune their defensive strategies.

“When you can say when you can turn on the tape and like, (MacDonald and the Ravens) can watch our schemes and say, ‘Oh, did you tweak this?’ Like, that’s a really good deal. ‘Let me ask you about that.’ We can do the same thing watching their film. So it’s a huge deal.”

“Mike (former Michigan football defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald) and I have such a good relationship and probably try to update each day like, ‘Look, we put this in, and this looks really good. Maybe you should try it,’ type of stuff. We do that pretty much through the course of the season. And so it’s family, first of all, like, obviously, coach and coach, and yeah, it’s a great resource for us,” Minter concluded.

Since Mike MacDonald and Jesse Minter took charge of the Michigan football defense, Ohio State has not managed to score more than 27 points against the Wolverines. Furthermore, during his inaugural season as the play-caller for Michigan football, Minter limited Ohio State to 23 points, Penn State to 17 points, and Michigan State to 7 points. These accomplishments serve as a foundation that he aims to enhance throughout the coming 2023 college football season and potentially beyond.

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