Mike Macdonald discusses decision to leave Michigan for a return 'home' to Baltimore

Former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was introduced as the Baltimore Ravens’ D-coordinator at a Wednesday press conference alongside Ravens head man John Harbaugh. Macdonald left Ann Arbor after one season of turning around the Wolverines’ defense and returned to a place he called “home” for a job he referred to as “a dream come true.”

“When the opportunity did come about, it was really one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made, or we’ve ever made,” Macdonald, the NFL’s youngest defensive coordinator at 34 years old, said.

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His time at Michigan prepared him for the opportunity he has back at Baltimore. Macdonald served as the Ravens’ linebackers coach and held other duties during his seven years there before coming to U-M, but under Jim Harbaugh, he was able to hone in his skills of building a defense.

“You have a vision of how you’d like it to operate, so I think the beginning part of the big learning segment was, hey, let’s get everybody on the same page, and how do you do that?” Macdonald explained. “It really came through a bunch of conversations of how I envisioned things going, how the players envisioned things going, what the coaches thought, putting together a staff.

“It was great to get that experience, right? Trying to create alignment within the organization — that’s something you don’t necessarily do as a position coach. You can only have eight guys in a room at any given time, now you’re looking at a room of 50 guys, saying, ‘How do we get this thing to come together?’

“Credit to the players there, too. The players at Michigan are awesome guys — just loved coaching them, and they did everything we asked.”

When Michigan needed an offensive coordinator last January, John Harbaugh told his brother that Macdonald would be a great candidate. After one year, the conversation flipped and John was asking for permission to interview Macdonald.

“He was great about it, really, he really was,” John Harbaugh said of Jim Harbaugh’s handling of the situation. “Maybe a couple seconds of silence, and then he’s like, ‘Absolutely. Absolutely. You took care of me, and Mike’s a great guy and he deserves the opportunity.’”

Now that Macdonald has worked for each Harbaugh, he can contrast their styles. Jokingly “pleading the fifth” on who’s better to be around, Macdonald sang the praises of both.

“The biggest common denominator is two real genuine guys that shoot you straight,” Macdonald said. “There’s no alter-anything going on, there are no side deals, it’s all up front and honest. And that’s all you could ask for as an employee in some part of that organization. Two guys who you’re willing to go to battle for, for sure.”

John Harbaugh: Minnesota Vikings Would Be ‘Smart’ To Hire Jim Harbaugh

John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh coached against each other in the Super Bowl, and may have the chance to do so once again. The Michigan head coach is interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings Wednesday and is expected to be named their next head man.

“Is he interviewing in Minnesota? Is that the rumor? No, he’s not in Florida today; I can debunk that rumor,” John Harbaugh said. “I think he’s in Minnesota, unless his plans changed in the last few hours.

“If he’s in Minnesota, I’d be happy to play against him in the next three years. If anyone understands how the schedule in the NFL works, they understand what that means. So that would be awesome. That’d be great. 

“I’ll sing his praises. I always do anytime someone asks; I’m happy to do it. He’s one of the best coaches in the National Football League — maybe even ever — and college football, I think he’s the best. If the Minnesota Vikings are smart enough to get that done, then they’ll be making a wise choice.”