Wink Martindale Inheriting Depth On Defense

New U-M defensive coordinator Wink Martindale opened up about a wide variety of topics during an interview with Jon Jansen.

During yesterday’s episode of In The Trenches, Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale took time to ingratiate himself to the Wolverines faithful in a lengthy discussion with Jon Jansen. During the conversation, Martindale touched on topics ranging from the Hollywood origins of his nickname to the future of Michigan’s defense in 2024 and beyond.

Over the past several seasons, Michigan solidified its defense with an improsing front, and the defensive line should continue to be a strength for the Wolverines from Martindale’s estimation, and he was effusive in his praise for UM defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.

“…You can start with stopping run, which those two are very good at, and they do it different ways,” Martindale said. “It's not just because they're square and play with knockback. They both move well, and it's going to be exciting for us. We've got the two linebackers with Ernie [Haussman] and Jaishawn [Barham], the transfer from Maryland, that when you're strong up the middle and you're talking about those two tackles, those two inside backers and the two safeties we have, that's a great place to start to have a great defense.”

According to Martindale, the cupboards will not be bare in Ann Arbor during his first season on the sidelines. For instance, Martindale referenced Barham as an impact transfer from elsewhere in the Big Ten, and Barham logged 37 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss and was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches last season.

But when Martindale looks elsewhere on defense, like to his edge rushers, the newly-named UM coordinator sees the qualities that turn lauded prospects into dominant pass rushers. Chiefly, Martindale is expecting productive seasons from Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart.

“We just need to build some depth behind them,” Martindale said. “I think both D-Mo and Josaiah, like you said, they're hidden gems. Just look at the final play against Alabama with Josaiah doing that to that tackle. That's what made the play which a lot of people don't realize. That type of mentality up front, across the board, is going to win you a lot of football games.”

For Martindale and his new defensive staff, the reigning National Champions need to work quickly in order to properly implement their system, but the building blocks are in place to do so. In fact, Martindale has been coaching an similar system for numerous years, so nailing down terminology will be among the top items on this spring’s agenda.

“The biggest thing is communication,” Martindale said. “I think that starts in the meeting rooms, the cafeteria, everywhere. That's where the whole staff on defense, position coach-wise, are all new guys so it's going to be all of us communicating with the players, communicating with each other and that's what makes spring ball exciting.”

Last season, Michigan finished with the year with the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, allowing 10.4 points per game. That is a difficult mark to match, but Martindale aims to do so this season.

What do you expect from the Michigan defense in 2024? Let us know and follow @EricJRutter for more Wolverine Digest updates.