Michigan football: Jesse Minter has a plan to replace the elite ends

New Michigan coordinator Jesse Minter lost a pair of elite defensive ends to the NFL in Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, two guys who combined for 25 sacks a year ago. New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will have to adjust in his first year, but he seems confident in his group and how he’s going to use them. 

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As head coach Jim Harbaugh and other coaches said in the spring, you don’t replace guys like Hutchinson and Ojabo. They were unique and had their own skillsets. But there’s nothing that says senior Mike Morris couldn’t be the next Hutchinson, Harbaugh added, at least in terms of production.

Minter told reporters Thursday he and his staff weren’t looking to the past … only forward. 

“One of the things we’ve talked about is we’re not worried about replacing whoever. There were certainly some really, really good players,” Minter said. “We want to have the best 11 players on the field for the given situation that’s occurring. When our guys buy into that, play really hard, they’re not worried about who makes the play. When someone makes a play, we all make a play. I’ve been very, very pleased in just the mentality in that regard. 

“Then they also know we’re going to move people around. We’re going to try to create matchups given the opponent. I look at it like this — whatever it looks like going into the year, I hope we have a bunch of stars at the end of the season.”

That was in reference to Harbaugh’s ‘no-star’ defense, one he’s said repeatedly could be better than last year’s. 

Having elite pass rushers helps any defense, of course, and there are candidates to emerge. Minter listed several when asked who he thought could lead the team in sacks in 2022.

“I hope it’s multiple guys,” Minter said. I think we have some edge players — Mike Morris, Braiden McGregor, Taylor Upshaw, Jaylen Harrell — that have the capabilities of being good rushers. [Veteran tackles] Kris Jenkins and Mazi Smith have the ability to push from the inside. [Freshman] Mason Graham, [grad transfer] Cam Goode — all these guys have capabilities of being good rushers. 

“It will fall into situationally who we have out there. 

Minter: Michigan pass rush could be “by committee” in 2022

But they’re all capable of taking advantage of opportunities, Minter said. And it’s the coaches’ job to make sure they put each guy in position to have that success. 

“The other thing, because it might not be one guy, it’s giving us the ability to maybe move people around more,” Minter said. “Maybe a guy that rushes a lot one week drops the next week and sort of changes our tendencies. So, I think the guys have really bought into that. 

“We want to have a high total at the end of the year. But we’d love it to be a lot of different people with multiple sacks.”

They don’t care where they’re coming from as long as they’re getting them, Minter added. That’s been preached and embraced, evidenced by the reaction when he asks ends to occasionally drop into coverage. 

Like his predecessor, friend and colleague Mike Macdonald, Minter has shown he’s about disguising and using multiple fronts and looks. Doing that relies on players embracing their roles, which (again) hasn’t been an issue. Sometimes, that means dropping instead of rushing.

“All those guys as they’ve learned in the second year as we’ve progressed, they understand how to drop now,” Minter said. “When you talk about the edge position, it’s can he rush the passer, can he set the edge, and can he be in the right spot when we ask him to drop? We don’t want to put him in bad situations where he can be in a bad matchup. 

“But a lot of times maybe it’s simulated pressure or something where we’re asking him to cover a quick throw. Really, just be in the right spot. Don’t screw it up; don’t overthink it. All of those guys have done a really good job going into their second year understanding where they need to be.”

Which has made it easier on Minter, co-coordinator Steve Clinkscale and the rest to build what should be another really good Michigan defense.