Jesse Minter compares working for Jim, John Harbaugh

As a former defensive assistant for the Baltimore Ravens, Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has had the rare opportunity to work for both Jim and John Harbaugh.

Both coaches have been immensely successful in their respective tenures. John has a Super Bowl win under his belt after defeating his brother’s San Francisco 49ers in 2013. Now, Jim has the opportunity to win his first national championship at the college level. Minter has had the luxury of learning under both.

“They’re so similar. They’re both just elite leaders,” Minter said during Saturday’s College Football Playoff media availability. “They can bring people together. They can get guys to play as a team but still have their personality and still let their personality shine. So both have just great cultures in their locker rooms, great team, great staff culture, and just both are two of the best leaders in all of sports.”

Minter spent four seasons in various roles for the Baltimore Ravens, the most prominent being defensive backs coach in 2020 before moving to the collegiate ranks the next season. He’s only in his third season as a defensive coordinator at a Power Five level having spent one season at Vanderbilt before joining Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff in 2022.

Under Jim Harbaugh this season, Michigan comes into the national title game ranked No. 1 in the country in total defense. The Wolverines have allowed 16 total touchdowns all season long, which averages to 10.2 points per game — also the best in the country. That’s just scratching the surface, as Michigan is also ranked in the top five in almost every defensive statistical category.

“Both places with both Coach Harbaughs, I think the way they operate is very similar,” Minter said. “What I mean by that is it might not be a ton of bells and whistles in our program, but anything we can do to maximize the players’ ability to develop as players I think is where we put our resources. You are talking about the strength program, the weight room, the facilities. If you look at our program, it’s about player development.

“That’s the epicenter of our program and where we’ve been good. I think it was the same thing in the NFL. I think that’s an underrated thing that the Ravens are really, really good at is drafting players and developing them, and they have so many homegrown players now that are playing key roles for them as they’re striving to win the Super Bowl. I think player development is the epicenter of that for both those teams.”

While John Harbaugh focuses on the Super Bowl, Minter and Jim Harbaugh are just over 24 hours away from finding their fate against Washington. Kickoff is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.