Jesse Minter shares where Michigan defense must improve in 2023

The Michigan defense wasn’t bad by any stretch in Year 1 under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter in 2022, finishing 6th nationally in total defense en route to a conference title and College Football Playoff berth. But Minter is pushing for improvement.

Minter isn’t specifically concerned with one statistical area to improve, but wants to get even better at the “pillars” of the Michigan defense: Pursuit, blowing up blocks, disrupting the ball, and communicating. And with a year-plus under his belt in Ann Arbor, Minter can see the Michigan defense really getting comfortable in the scheme.

“Whereas in the first year, for me specifically, it was so much scheme driven and this is what they’ve done, this is what I think we can do. Now, to be able to feel really, really comfortable with the scheme and the system to really hone in on the technical pieces of the game that we can control. That’s been fun to see. Fun to see the players really buy in to that. Our assistant coaches have done a tremendous job in those regards,” Minter said on the “In The Trenches” podcast published by Michigan athletics.

One area Minter has really emphasized in the offseason is block destruction, especially along the defensive line. Absent Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo in 2022, the Wolverines had to turn to more blitzes and exotic looks to generate pressure. And while it worked at times — Michigan finished 34th nationally with 37 sacks — it also left the back end of the defense vulnerable. This came back to bite the Wolverines repeatedly in the national semifinal against TCU.

If the four defensive linemen for Michigan can blow up blocks and make disruptive plays in the backfield without extra rushers, the entire complexion of the defense changes. And it gives the rest of the defense more freedom to pursue the ball and create havoc.

“And as simple as that sounds, the emphasis on those four things on a daily basis has gone to a whole ‘nother level for us,” Minter said.

Minter also knows the playbook and scheme can’t stay entirely stagnant year-to-year. With the success Michigan had on defense in 2022, others will look to crib from what the Wolverines did. Minter knows this, and knows it’s his job to help keep his unit ahead of the curve.

“And then schematically, I think any time you have some success, I think people are always chasing you. People are always studying you. So it’s imperative that we continue to add, continue to tweak. Continue to find a better way to do certain things. So that’s an ongoing process,” Minter said. “And just excited to see where we’re at heading in to this year.”