Former Giants Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale Lands With University of Michigan
The University of Michigan has hired former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to be the Wolverines' new defensive coordinator under new head coach Sherrone Moore.
Martindale replaces Jesse Minter, who followed former Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.
It's the first college post for Martindale, who was last in the college ranks as a defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach for Western Kentucky from 2000-2003.
The Giants originally hired Martindale on February 11, 2022. In his first season, the Giant's defense finished fifth league-wide on third-down conversion attempts in the red zone and 12th in goal-to-go conversions.
Martindale, who earned the 2023 Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman Award for lifetime achievement as an NFL assistant coach, saw his Giants defense finish 27th in the league last season, down two spots from 2022.
The unit, which finished ninth in third-down conversion percentage allowed, fell to 25th in red zone defense and 23rd in goal to go. The Giants' 2023 defense also ranked 32nd in yards differential (-81.7).
Martindale, who had reportedly been a candidate for the defensive coordinator jobs in Jacksonville, Green Bay, and Dallas, and who in 2022 was a head coaching candidate for the Colts, abruptly and officially re-signed his post with the Giants on January 10 following a heated verbal fall-out with head coach Brian Daboll. He was replaced by Shane Bowen, formerly the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator.
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