Wink Martindale previews job as Michigan’s new DC: ‘I’m the OG of the system, so we’ll be good.’

Wink Martindale, the new defensive coordinator, is the most intriguing offseason hire in Michigan football.

Wink Martindale, the guy in charge of Michigan football’s whole defensive coaching revamp, brings the most intrigue to Ann Arbor.

Unlike Michigan’s previous two defensive coordinators, he is not a rising star in the profession. He is an NFL veteran who has spent decades with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants before joining Ann Arbor. More crucially for a Michigan club defending its championship in 2024, he will be responsible for preserving college football’s strongest defense, which has powered them to three Big Ten conference championships under Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter and a national title in 2023. Many consider Martindale to be the creator of Macdonald and Minter’s defensive system during Michigan’s three-year run of record dominance, yet he does not match the model of his predecessors.

So, how will Michigan football’s defense look under Wink Martindale? The public first heard from the man himself when he appeared on an episode of “In the Trenches,” a Michigan Athletics podcast. He discussed what he plans to accomplish with the Wolverines. Here are some highlights from what he said:

On what he enjoys most about coaching:

One of my favorite aspects of coaching is spending time with the players. And that’s been terrific for me since I’ve been here: there’s always guys here, viewing tape and asking questions. We’ve had players, including Rod and Makari. Mason has participated in our staff meetings. If they want to sit in on a staff meeting, they are welcome to do so, and we can talk football. In terms of teaching and education, it’s all relative, whether you’re in high school, college, or the profession. However, there is a new thrill among the guys that want to learn, and it has been a lot of fun.

On his beginning as a football coach:

I started as a high school teacher and coach for five years before moving on to work for Coach Holtz at the University of Notre Dame. Skip and I became friends while working at football camps and other events. And I was going to go with Skip to Connecticut, but Coach Holtz beat him, so that’s how it all began. But in 1996, I was there with John Harbaugh, Rex Ryan, Sam Pittman, and a lot of other folks who have gone on to have a lot of success in this business — and there are others I just didn’t name.

That’s how I met John, and then, when his father had an opportunity at Western Kentucky — I was at Western Illinois at the time — we moved from Western Illinois to Western Kentucky, and everything just took off.

On his return to college football:

As previously stated, I am excited to return to my origins. Just to have the opportunity. Coming to the University of Michigan to be the defensive coordinator and having this opportunity is a dream job for me. It’s one of those things. I believe our lives are full of bucket list items. And when you look back, it will be a bucket list item that I completed, or that my wife and I accomplished. I’m just very enthused about it. And I am looking forward to returning to the splendor of college football. Because it is different from the professional level.

And, you know, I wish we had a slightly easier schedule than we have. But I suppose it’s something I’m used to from my previous location.

On inheriting a defensive system built by Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter, two people he mentored:

I believe the most significant difference has been in the verbiage due to the fast-paced nature of college football. You must make numerous calls that are only one word long. But they maintained the foundation that we all built together in 2018. It’s fun to see it work. And it has worked not only for those two, but also for D’Anton Lynn, who is currently at SC, and Zach Orr, the defensive coordinator at Baltimore. There are a lot of guys who have come up through our tree, if you will, and are enjoying a lot of success using our system.

It’s as I told the players: In all humility, I’m the OG of the system, so we’ll be good.

We’re all thrilled about it. It will be interesting to observe how the new defensive coaching staff performs. Every year, I tell everyone on the staff about how we use this method, so it’s the entire system, beginning with Sherrone. It’s one of those situations where I believe being at the University of Michigan gives you an advantage because of the offense and how Sherrone runs it. I believe this puts us in the ideal frame of mind to play excellent defense, because you must be physically fit to play at the University of Michigan. It starts with the guys up front, the defensive line, and we have some players.

On his early impressions of the defensive line, starting with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant:

The thing you notice — and this is both the Draft process and when analyzing college players coming out — is a lack of technique that many of them play with. And these guys are square football players who use knockback and can make plays. And seeing this warms my heart.

Some people may claim that they don’t have enough of this or that, which is total nonsense. Because you may begin by stopping the run, which these two are really adept at, and they do it in various ways. It isn’t just because they are square and use knockback. They both move well. And it’s going to be exciting for us because we have two linebackers, Ernie and Jaishawn, who transferred from Maryland, and when you’re strong up the middle, and you talk about those two tackles, those two inside backers, and then the two safeties that we have, that’s a great place to start to have a great defense.

On the Michigan edge rushers, starting with Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore:

It’s an excellent starting place. We only need to add some depth behind them. But I believe that both D-Mo and Josaiah are hidden talents who accomplished a lot. Just watch at the final play versus Alabama, where Josaiah does it to that tackle. I mean, that is what created the play, which many people are unaware of. That type of approach up front will help you win a lot of football games.

On the value of his experience as a coach to this Michigan staff:

In today’s football world, experience is often neglected at all levels. And I believe that if you take the approach of not just growing players but also developing coaches, like we did for the past few years, you’ll be right where you want to be at the conclusion of this. Sherrone is a stud, and it’s clearly a match made in heaven for him and me to be together, which I’m very excited about. And if he has any questions, like, “What have you guys done in the past?” I just have a larger library than most since I’ve been doing this for forty years.

On the origins of his nickname, Wink:

For those of you old enough to remember Tic-Tac-Dough, the game show host is obviously Wink Martindale. Donald Brown, a person from Akron Buchtel, passed away when I was a freshman at Defiance College. In my freshman year, I was carried with a duffel bag labeled ‘Martindale’. He said, ‘Hey, Wink,’ and it stuck. And it has been that way since my early twenties. Most people refer to me as Wink, not Don.