Michigan is hiring from the NFL to fill its defensive coordinator vacancy.
The Wolverines are set to hire former New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wink Martindale as their new DC, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning.
Hiring Martindale should provide a degree of continuity for the Wolverines’ defense, as each of the team’s last two defensive coordinators – Jesse Minter and Mike Macdonald – worked with Martindale in Baltimore and brought his scheme to Ann Arbor.
Martindale’s defense ranked among the best in the league in each of his first three years as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, but he and the team parted ways after their defense ranked just 25th in the NFL in total defense in 2021. He parted ways with the Giants after their defense ranked 27th in the league in total defense in 2023.
Martindale was also the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 2010 but lasted only one year in that position as they finished last in the NFL in both total defense and scoring defense.
A Dayton, Ohio, native, Martindale has not coached at the collegiate level since 2003 when he finished up a four-year run as defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky. He also previously coached at Western Illinois, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Defiance College, his alma mater.
