Jesse Minter on response to last few weeks: 'Do your job at a high level and keep working'
The Michigan Wolverines are 8-0 and ranked third in the College Football Playoff Committee’s initial rankings on Tuesday night. Despite that, plenty are questioning the body of work given the NCAA’s investigation into an alleged illegal scouting operation centered around staffer Connor Stalions.
Given that Michigan coaches are back at work this week, the topic of the investigation has come up. Coaches and U-M reps are barred from speaking from it while it is ongoing, but defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is choosing to double down on staying focused on his players.
“It is what it is,” Minter said Wednesday afternoon. “I wish we could speak on it but we can’t. It’s fine. It is what it is. When you’re at a job like this, there’s going to be good days and bad days. You owe it to the players, you owe it to the coaches, you owe it to the people who are really important to you to do your job at a high level and keep working. That’s what I’ve been able to do, been able to stay focused. If you want the players to stay focused, we’ve got to stay focused. Trying to be that one-track mind for them and let the chips fall where they may.”
Michigan is accused of cheating and skirting the rules to gain a competitive advantage, which has lit a fire under the program to prove they are worthy of the praise and hype that was thrown their way prior to the allegations.
“I’m playing motivated without that,” Minter said. “I’m motivated for this team to have the best season we can have. Finish the right way, get back to places we have been before and also try to surpass that. Motivation is from within for me.”
The CFP committee said on Tuesday night that the NCAA investigation was not a consideration in where the Wolverines were ranked. The Wolverines were slotted behind the Ohio State Buckeyes and Georgia Bulldogs on the basis of resumes. Anything other than that is conjecture, says Minter.
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“I’m not going to speak for the committee, I think they said they looked at the resumes and sort of ranked them as they saw fit,” he said. “To me, that’s their job. That’s the task they’re given to try to put the best four teams out there. I think anything outside of that is speculation, perception, whatever, is really irrelevant to the conversation.”
The focus is back on football this week inside of Schembechler Hall, and Minter and the staff are imploring their players to stay focused amid all of the outside noise.
“Just one day at a time,” Minter said. “It’s a one-track mind to echo Coach Harbaugh’s statement, it’s a one-track mind. Focus on what we can control, focus on our process, continue to prepare the right way, continue to work really hard and let the results fall where they may.”
Michigan is back on action Saturday night against the Purdue Boilermakers at home. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
