“I do love it here, and I love the players here,” said the 61-year-old Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. While the Indianapolis Colts interviewed Martindale, the former Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants defensive coordinator refused to anchor his ship anywhere outside of Ann Arbor. However, the pressure is mounting on Martindale. After all, his years of NFL experience failed to help Sherrone Moore and co. to defend the Natty. Forget the title, they could not even punch the ticket to the playoffs. But they did have some big games in 2024 under Martindale. One was their big 19-13 victory against Alabama. While a former Crimson Tide player must be upset with the coach, he is hopeful about Martindale’s chapter 2 in Ann Arbor. 

Bringing in Martindale was not a difficult decision for Moore. After all, he has been the original architect of the defense that was implemented in Ann Arbor. Confused much? The Wolverines’ last two defensive coordinators — Jesse Minter and Mike McDonald — both developed under Martindale with the Baltimore Ravens. They then brought versions of his schemes to Michigan. But definitely things got oomph up with Martindale, himself being present in the hood. The Wolverines’ defense suffocated Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Tide crossed midfield on their opening drive and faced fourth-and-4 at U-M’s 45 when edges TJ Guy and Derrick Moore collapsed the pocket and met at the quarterback for the sack to force a turnover on downs. Things started to turn in the Wolverines’ favor when Dominic Zvada kicked the game’s opening field goal. Jalen Milroe muffed the snap, and Moore fell on it to set U-M up at the Tide 19.

However, the 2025 season is going to be tough for Martindale. Even though he has chosen to be loyal, they will be moving without key defensive pieces like Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson, and Josaiah Stewart. While ex-Alabama player Greg McElroy should be happy about Moore facing the largest holes to fill, he gave Michigan a spot in his list of ‘Top 10 Defenses ENTERING 2025.’ On the June 2 episode of the ESPN College Football podcast, he shared, “Now there are some big losses, no doubt off last year’s team… but Wink Martindale is back now his second season. He’s got a ton of NFL experience, and after a year in college, he probably has a better feel for how teams are going to attack him. He probably has a better overall understanding of where the Big 10 offenses are.”

McElroy continued, “And I think his aggressiveness as a play caller will actually be able to go up a little bit – because he knows he doesn’t have those two defensive tackles on the interior that can just create their own shot every single time the ball is snapped.” The duo is Graham and Grant. Even though McElroy believes that it’s ‘impossible’ for Martindale to replace the duo, he can count on the guys who are returning, TJ Guy, and Derrick Moore, who were part of the unit that finished with the No. 19 scoring defense and the No. 5 rushing defense. The defensive tackle depth is six-deep, edge rusher is four-deep, linebacker is probably about five-deep, safety is six-deep, and cornerback is four-deep at this juncture. 

“So I look at this group kind of across the board. Then I think the culture is what allows me to feel quite confident in what Michigan’s going to continue to be. They’re going to be physical, they’re going to be sound along the lines of scrimmage. And while they might not have quite as much star power as they had last year, I still don’t think there’s going to be much drop off.” Jyaire Hill flashed his high-end potential late in 2024, allowing just seven receptions for 68 yards over his final six games. 

He has the speed (10.7 – 100m) and size (6-foot-2) to be a lockdown corner. His talents will increase manifold with Zeke Berry by his side. They’d form a high-performing duo, helping Martindale’s defense go toe-to-toe against teams like Oregon, Washington, and Ohio State, all of which bring serious firepower at wide receiver. Now, what is Martinadale thinking about their 2025 chapter? 

Wink Martindale’s unit is loaded and lethal

The defensive coordinator was interviewed by WolverinesWire. He was questioned about the advantages of the entire defensive coaching staff returning. And one could sense the confidence from Martindale’s answer. “I feel really good about our depth overall as a defense. Do we have any bona fide first-round picks? I’m not sure. We’ll wait and see how this season goes. But I know we’ve got some next-day draft picks sitting there ready to go. Right now I can say that confidently with the guys that we have, and we have more depth, like I said, in every room.”

Michigan has only six home games this season, meaning it’ll go on the road for six tilts, including at Oklahoma in week two. Amidst this, Moore getting suspension is also looming. This means their September 13 home clash versus Central Michigan and the September 20 road trip at Nebraska come with extra challenges. However, Joel Klatt sticks to be optimistic about the Wolverines. Interestingly, his optimism with Michigan starts with the defense.

The analyst shared, “Wink Martindale is too smart of a defensive coordinator, and they, at times, were doing a little too much. They simplified a little bit, he learned the college game a little bit more — the tendencies of it — and that defense took off in the second half of the year.” Well, the spring games also gave hints about how Michigan’s 2025 defense is going to look. True freshman Shamari Earls stood out at corner, playing good defense. Then there was Jeremiah Lowe. The sophomore picked off Jadyn Davis at the start of the second half and at the end of the fourth quarter for two INTs. The general has arrived, his warriors are locked in—who dares to halt Moore’s march to defensive dominance?