Sherrone Moore makes audacious hire by tabbing Wink Martindale as Michigan's new defensive coordinator

Don ‘Wink’ Martindale was hired as Michigan’s new defensive coordinator Friday, and when the news first leaked, many took to social media to make the same joke. 

Why is the NFL losing so many coaches to college football?

Hardy har har.

Snark aside, Sherrone Moore is making a bold move by bringing Wink Martindale to Ann Arbor. Moore is banking on continuity by dipping back into the Michigan-Baltimore pipeline, as Martindale is the architect of the defensive scheme the Wolverines have utilized the last several seasons under Jesse Minter and Mike McDonald. 

Martindale was on the Ravens’ staff from 2012-2021, serving as John Harbaugh’s DC for the last four seasons. He helped groom McDonald and Minter, who eventually made their way to Michigan. 

At first glance, the move makes total sense. Michigan’s defense has been fantastic the last three years (Top 10 nationally in yards per play and scoring), so why would Moore want to upset the apple cart — particularly with so much staff turnover elsewhere?

The hire does come with some risk, though.

Martindale, who is 60, has spent the last 20 years in the NFL. The last time he coached in college was in 2003 at Western Kentucky for none other than Jack Harbaugh. His vast experience is a major plus for a young, first-time head coach like Moore, who ideally can empower Martindale to be the head coach of the defense while he sorts out the rest of his responsibilities.

But the question will be Martindale’s ability to adapt to the college game? While there are schematic similarities, Martindale’s system is not an exact replica of McDonald’s or Minter’s. The man loves to channel is inner Bill Yoast from Remember the Titans and “BLITZ ALL NIGHT.”

In his last six seasons as an NFL DC, Martindale’s defenses ranked first or second in blitz rate in five of the six years. 

Will he continue to employ such an aggressive scheme with the Wolverines? Or will he dial it back taking over a defense that must replace its top two linebackers (Junior Colson and Michael Barrett), all-world safety Mike Sainristill and top edge rusher Jaylen Harrell? 

Martindale must also adjust to the new reality of working in the age of NIL and the transfer portal. He probably won’t have a ton of recruiting responsibilities, but that only adds more to Moore’s plate, too.

It’s notable that Michigan just won the national championship yet didn’t parlay that success onto the recruiting trail. They signed the nation’s No. 18 class — good for fourth in the Big Ten.  Jim Harbaugh turned the Wolverines into a developmental powerhouse, but that’s not a sustainable model in modern college football. Michigan needs (and should) to recruit at a Top 10 level, and Martindale’s addition to the staff doesn’t materially help them improve in that area. 

Still, despite some question marks, it’s a strong hire for Moore. 

It hasn’t been the smoothest transition for Michigan since Moore was promoted to head coach after Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers’ job last month. He saw Harbaugh pluck four key staffers, including heralded S&C coordinator Ben Herbert. But Moore has started to assemble a quality staff, and landing Wink Martindale as his DC is an audacious move.