Rick Minter reflects on 'joyous ride' this season

Working as an analyst within the U-M program, it wasn't until there was a sudden change in the program this season that saw his son, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, needing help with Chris Partridge being let go the day before the Wolverines played Penn State.

The younger Minter wasted no time tasking his father with the role.

"It was, kind of a good word, sudden change, the next man up," Minter said. "It was convenient and good for me that my son is the coordinator. He said I want someone in that role I know I can trust and instantly plug in. I was the right guy at the right time. I've really enjoyed it, it's been fun being back in the saddle."

While being comfortable in his analyst role, Minter is enjoying every minute the ride of this season has given him and his position group.

While having to adjust to new things, he's enjoying the love of the game of football thanks to expanded roles as well as the importance of family.

"It's been an adjustment for me, the old-timer, aggressive mind to be a head coach, coordinator and a position coach into being an analyst and being an analyst for your son because you gotta learn to stay in your own lane," Minter said. "You gotta have your son tell you to shut up and sit down. That's been an adjustment and I've done it well, I think. We work well together.

"When the adversity struck, the opportunity to elevate back up, I'm having fun with it. I love coaching the guys, I was around them a lot last year in the linebacker room as an analyst, so they aren't new to me. I just let them know right away that I am not here to change anything or reinvent the wheel, we're going to keep doing what we do. It's just been a joyous ride for me. I'm where I'm at because I want to be around my son, if possible, and I want to be around my grandchildren. Thanks to Jim Harbaugh when he hired Jesse, he made that possible."

While also having to adjust to life as an assistant coach, there also is a small adjustment having to work alongside his son in a working fashion.

While it isn't foreign to the Minter family, as Minter has worked under his son before and vice versa, there's an understanding that comes with working under a family member.

For the elder Minter, the understanding is based on past experiences and respect.

"I've always looked at him as my coworker and my boss and the guy in charge," Minter said. "The old saying is, when you've been a head coach and you're no longer a head coach, you go back and revert to being an assistant, you become a much better assistant coach than you ever were because you walked a mile in that guys shoes as a head coach or coordinator. I've walked a mile in his shoes. Now that I've done that, I know what he goes through. So you can respect the decision, I have such greater respect for the position because you've been around it. You know the mindset, you know the thought process. You respect that. You know the work, the diligence and the anxieties that go with being the man in charge. I'm just a supportive role."

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