Dissecting the Jesse Minter defense

Jesse Minter comes to Ann Arbor after one season as the Defensive Coordinator for Vanderbilt. The obvious connection for Minter to Michigan comes from coaching for John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens (2017-20) and his time there overlapping with former Michigan DC Mike MacDonald. Prior to getting to Baltimore, Minter was the Defensive Coordinator at Georgia State (2013-16) and Indiana State (2011-12). His time at Georgia State was especially impressive as he was a top recruiter, elevated their defense to top 10 in the FBS, and was even a Broyles Award nominee in 2015. So while the comparisons MacDonald are obvious, Minter actually brings more DC experience than almost anyone at 38 years old.

While it is east to say "Jim is just hiring another one of John's guys" it ignores all of the history that exists between the Harbaughs and a long list of defensive minds.

In 2000, Western Kentucky Head Coach Jack Harbaugh hired Don Martindale to be his Defensive Coordinator. Yes, that Don Martindale who spent the last 8 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2012-21). Before that Martindale had coached with the Oakland Raiders (2004-08) and alongside another future Raven Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano. Pagano became Ravens DC in 2011 taking over for former Michigan DC Greg Mattison who had coached for Jack Harbaugh at Western Michigan in the 80's. Before that, Pagano had been the DB coach, and in 2009 he coached with LB coach Vic Fangio. Fangio left in 2010 to be Jim Harbaugh's DC at Stanford, and the next 4 season with the 49ers (2011-14).

The point is, Minter did coach under Don Martindale, and with Mike MacDonald in Baltimore. Like MacDonald, he is part of a wave of younger up and coming coaches who are applying modern analytics to defensive schemes that the Harbaughs have been utilizing for decades with some of the biggest names in football.

To put it simply, Vanderbilt was not going to get rebuilt overnight. While Minter has a track record of success in building defenses, he could only do so much in 2021. Vanderbilt was 102nd in the country in returning production for 2021, and they ranked 59 out of 65 Power 5 teams in talent composite. Vanderbilt had planned to use a 4-2-5 Rover scheme, but was forced to adapt to largely a 3-3-5 to deal with the lack of talent they had.
Concern trolls will hammer Vanderbilt's defense last season, but that ignores all context. Minter was successful at his previous stops, especially when it came to pass defense. One of the big reasons Baltimore moved on from Martindale was the serious drop off in pass defense after Minter left. There is a good reason to believe the talent at Michigan will give him an opportunity to execute his concepts.

What excited people about Mike MacDonald was he bringing an NFL style defense to Michigan. While people focused on if this meant Michigan was going to go from a 4-3 to a 3-4, MacDonald explained the Wolverines would run multiple fronts. A long held belief in the NFL was an elite pass rush was the key a great pass defense. The Ravens methodology is the opposite, and while Minter was part of the DB staff in Baltimore they had a top 10 Pass DVOA each of the four seasons.

“The NFL is a very matchup-driven league,” Minter says. “It’s about affecting the quarterback. It’s about being able to win one-on-one matchups on the outside. It’s about being able to win matchups as the pass rush is created. And so you learn to maximize your better players.” This should all sound very familiar.

As MacDonald predicted, Michigan ran a lot of mixed fronts in 2021. We saw 4-2-5, something that resembled 3-3-5, 3-4 over and under, base 4-3, and 5 man fronts straight out of the NFL. What Michigan did best in 2021 is what Minter says is most important, "you learn to maximize your better players." Those players for MacDonald were Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, Josh Ross, and Daxton Hill. Michigan leaned heavy on the pass rush last season because it was a clear strength. Daxton Hill thrived in a safety/nickel hybrid role but was sometimes got burned in press without the high safety help. Ross was a more traditional MIKE linebacker, and the team compensated for his lack of speed.

All of those players are gone, so the defense will no doubt look different for that simple fact. Minter's experience is in the secondary, so his goal will be to focus on the outside and specifically the safeties. Steve Clinkscale did an incredible job with this group in 2021, and will be an asset for Minter in his first season in Ann Arbor. Winning those matchups is what will allow the pass rush to get home. Speed will be essential to the success of this defense, which is why it came up so often with the 2022 recruiting class. DJ Turner returns, as well as Gemon Green. More growth from Rod Moore, and potentially freshman Will Johnson being ready to make an impact will be key to Michigan's 2022 defense.

The biggest change will likely be who Michigan utilizes to get pressure on the QB. Mike Morris and Braiden McGregor will likely work together to replace Aidan Hutchinson, while Jaylen Harrell seems the favorite to replace David Ojabo as the edge LB. Harrell is likely stronger in the run game and not the pass rush specialist Ojabo was. Mazi Smith has a chance to become an essential piece to this defense, forcing pressure up the middle, getting the QB out of the pocket and into rush lanes.

So yes and no. The schemes and terminology will be the same, which will be a huge help for a defense going into its third coordinator in three seasons. With all the new players needing to step up, picking up where they left off versus starting from scratch is a big deal. The defense will continue to attack and attack some more, but how they do it will be different. The key is Minter believes in adapting the defense to your best players and your opponent, not forcing your players into your defense.