First broken by Sam Webb, Michigan intends to hire Don "Wink" Martindale to replace Jesse Minter as defensive coordinator. BREAKING: Wink Martindale hired as #MIchigan's new defensive coordinator. #GoBlue (FREE) https://t.co/Ztc7ztapBn pic.twitter.com/uF7T1iWrzz — Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) February 9, 2024 Wink was the defensive coordinator of the Ravens from 2018-'22, meaning he's the DC who developed the "Ravens" defense that Michigan's been running, and was the coordinator Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter were reporting to before leaving for college jobs. Mac replaced Martindale in 2022, and Wink coached the New York Giants defense for the last two years. If you're looking for a reason Michigan could pull a guy like Martindale out of the NFL now, the Ravens clearly chose to move on to Macdonald after 2021, and the Giants were 23rd and 30th in DVOA in the two seasons since, so the shine's come off. But he also checks the boxes that Sherrone Moore wanted for his DC hire, namely continuity, experience, and a big enough deal that the big deals on the roster don't get lured away by big deals in the portal. If your goal for this hire was to get whomever Jesse Minter suggests, it's hard to do better than Minter's mentor. But of course we're Michigan fans flush from winning a national championship on the strength of the defense, so let's address the nits. [After THE JUMP: Analysis.]