Mike Macdonald Has A Message For Michigan Football Fans

Michigan's newest defensive coordinator believes something special is happening in Ann Arbor.

The contract details for new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald came to light today, as It was revealed that Macdonald signed a three-year, $3.075 million contract with a guarantee of $1 million per year.

Macdonald arrives in Ann Arbor after spending seven seasons as part of John Harbaugh’s coaching staff with the Baltimore Ravens. At the age of 26, Macdonald first joined Harbaugh’s staff as a coaching intern in 2014. By year two, Macdonald was named as a defensive assistant where he would serve for the next two seasons. By his fourth year in Baltimore, Macdonald would be named as the defensive backs coach before ultimately settling in as the linebackers coach.

During Macdonald’s three full seasons as linebackers coach, the Baltimore Raven defense was one of the best in the NFL - finishing as one of the top three defensive units year after year.

The hope now is that Macdonald can bring some of that success to Ann Arbor and revive a defense that finished ranked No. 89 in total defense - one of the worst in the nation. It’s a tall order considering that there are still some big question marks on the defensive side of the ball - particularly at the cornerback position and up front. Macdonald will need to replace veteran guys like Kwity Paye, Cam McGrone and Carlo Kemp.

On the positive side, Macdonald will get back 2020 captain Aidan Hutchinson along with veteran safety Brad Hawkins. With additional talent like Daxton Hill, Makari Paige, Braiden McGregor and Chris Hinton to work with, Macdonald certainly has enough pieces to lead what should be a top 20 defense in 2021.

While Macdonald certainly has his work cut out for him, he had a message for the Michigan faithful on Thursday evening:

Though it’s great to hear that Michigan’s newest defensive coordinator is optimistic about the future of the program, the message will likely be met with a healthy dose of skepticism from the fan base itself. The Wolverine defense has developed a reputation of feasting on the weak while being dismantled by legitimate competition, most notably in back-to-back losses to the Buckeyes in 2018 and 2019 where Wolverines surrendered a record setting 118 combined points - including 1,144 combined yards.

After five seasons in Ann Arbor, former defensive coordinator Don Brown was shown the exit following the 2020 season due to those failures, often leaving overmatched defensive backs on an island and showing an unwillingness to make meaningful in-game adjustments. Under Brown, the Wolverine defense often came up short when it mattered most.

With a new philosophy and a new outlook, we’ll see if Macdonald’s optimism ultimately pays off on the football field itself - particularly when it matters most.