Sherrone Moore gives an explanation of how and why he put together his defense team.

Nobody knew if Jim Harbaugh would make a good hire when he brought on Mike Macdonald before the 2021 campaign. The former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s apprentice, the linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens, moved to Ann Arbor to implement the same scheme with the Michigan football team.

Following his one-year stint with the Wolverines, Macdonald went on to succeed as defensive coordinator for the Ravens, and then as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Jesse Minter, who succeeded him in Ann Arbor, refined the approach he had put in place and used it to land the position of defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Thus, he reasoned that the best thing he could do was to continue the plot when Sherrone Moore was chosen to succeed Jim Harbaugh, who took the head coach position with the Chargers (bringing Minter with him). Not merely a devotee of Wink Martindale, but Martindale himself was the most qualified individual to accomplish that.

In an appearance on Wolverine’s Champions Circle-hosted show The L.A.B. on Tuesday, Moore discussed his hiring philosophy for defensive positions.

Martindale was brought in mostly to give his players what he believed they deserved, rather than to make a splash in the media (though he was undoubtedly that).

Because I believe our players are excellent players and incredibly good at what they do, I wanted to make sure that one, that plan, was kept intact. And I wanted to make sure they were at ease before anything else,” Moore remarked.

“And two, if you want to stick with that plan, then bring in someone who knows how to operate this game—why not the original creator? That’s how it happened that Coach Martindale was brought on board. He’s an amazing guy who is not just a fantastic coach but also a terrific person.

Moore assembled an accomplished defensive staff in addition to Martindale. In addition to Martindale’s extensive background in the professional ranks, all three assistants have experience as defensive coordinators and some NFL experience.

Equally significant, though, is that they have all played college football in various conferences, giving them a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball.

Moore added, “Coach Brian Jean-Mary, Lou Esposito, LaMar Morgan, and all the guys around him, the assistants around him, like they’re all phenomenal.” Additionally, you get even greater information because each of those individuals has called plays and served as a coordinator.

The interesting part is that they have all experienced it from all angles because they have all played in both college and the NFL. The SEC alongside Brian Jean-Mary, followed by the MAC and Conference USA.

Therefore, I think it’s really great that there is a diversity of both men and women. They also get along really well. And being among that outstanding collection of astute football coaches is fantastic.