DC Wink Martindale Sees Himself As An ‘OG’

New Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale showed his personality in a recent chat with In The Trenches’ Jon Jansen.

Fear not. 

Even though Jim Harbaugh, with a National Championship in tow, left Michigan for the NFL over the offseason, the Wolverines’ staff will continue to flash an element of linguistic panache when discussing the game of football thanks to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. 

To be certain, Martindale exudes energy, and he’s thrilled to return to Ann Arbor after 21 years in the NFL. The new UM defensive coordinator spoke in depth about his arrival at Michigan with Jon Jansen on Michigan Athletics’ In The Trenches podcast. 

“I'm excited about getting back to the pageantry of college football,” Martindale told Jansen. “Because that's different, you know that, compared to the pro level.” 

🎙 DC Wink Martindale joins the podcast

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— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) March 13, 2024

Martindale, who arrives to Ann Arbor as a 33-year coaching veteran, shares the same verbal flair that made Harbaugh such a sound bite machine during his nine-year run at Michigan. And so far, Martindale seems to harbor a similar appreciation for the Wolverines program. 

“The excitement of coming back to my roots,” Martindale began, “just to have the opportunity, I mean, this is a dream job— coming to the University of Michigan and being the defensive coordinator and having this opportunity. It's one of those things, I think our lives are full of bucket list things. And when you look back at at the end, it's going to be a bucket list thing that I did, or that we did — my wife and I. I'm just really excited about it.”

Later in the interview, Martindale alluded to Michigan’s difficult strength of schedule for his debut season on the sidelines inside The Big House. However, Martindale is a battle tested coach who spent the last two decades in the NFL, first with the Oakland Raiders followed by the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.

“I just think that experience itself is sometimes overlooked in today's age of football,” Martindale said. “At all the different levels. When you take the mindset of not only developing players but developing coaches, which we have in the last few years, I think you really like where you're at at the end of this thing.“

So, Martindale comes stocked with a deep rolodex of situational football knowledge to draw from, and he has plenty of company in that department.

“Sherrone [Moore] is a stud,” Martindale said. “Obviously, it's a match made in heaven for he and I to come together, and I'm really excited about that. If he has anything [like], ‘what have you guys done in the past?’ I just have a bigger library than most because I've been doing this for 40 years.”

What Martindale offers is a brand of authenticity, one that similarly made Harbaugh such a likable figure among his players. When Martindale speaks, it is clear that he speaks with intention, and his intention is for Michigan to field another elite defense this fall. 

“It's like I told the players, in all humility, I'm the O.G. of this system,” Martindale said. “We're going to be just fine. We're all excited about it, and it's going to be fun to see with the new crew that we have defensively on the coaching staff.”

Along with Martindale, Michigan will welcome defensive line coach Greg Scruggs, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan to the staff in 2024. 

How do you think this coaching staff will mesh in the fall? Let us know and follow @EricJRutter on Twitter for more Wolverine Digest updates.