Here is what we think about Sherrone Moore’s first defensive staff in Ann Arbor.
It’s a new-look coaching staff for the Michigan Wolverines. with Jim Harbaugh and much of last year’s staff going to the NFL. Sherrone Moore had his work cut out for him to replace almost the entire staff, but early indications seem fairly positive from the fans and commentators across the sports world.
Here are our grades for each new defensive assistant coach that was brought into Ann Arbor this winter:
Don “Wink” Martindale: B
Martindale is a polarizing hire for the Wolverines. One of the positives is he was the original coach of the Ravens’ defense run by Jesse Minter and Mike Macdonald, his mentees, in Ann Arbor over the last few seasons. He’s also known as a player’s coach who brings good vibes into the locker room.
But I gave this one a B for a couple reasons. The first is he likely won’t be at Michigan for long. He’s 60 years old and missed the NFL coaching cycle due to an alleged massive dispute with New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Martindale has coached in the NFL for the last 19 seasons and there will be a learning curve schematically and relationally with players at the collegiate or high school recruiting level.
Brian Jean-Mary: A+
What helps Martindale is I love the coaches that have been placed around him. At the top of the list is Jean-Mary.
Where Martindale lacks in recruiting, Jean-Mary will make up for it all and then some. He was the lead recruiter on Jaydon Hood and Junior Colson during his first stint in Ann Arbor, and both those guys were four-star recruits coming out of high school. He also has 10 NFL Draft picks and contributed to seven top-15 recruiting classes in 18 seasons as a Division I assistant coach.
Moore was swift in bringing Jean-Mary back, and it feels like this could be a future defensive coordinator in Ann Arbor after he learns the system Martindale and others have utilized over the last few seasons.
LaMar Morgan: A
This was another great hire by Moore, and came with a recommendation by Jesse Minter. The two coached together in Baltimore with the Ravens and at Vanderbilt in 2021. Morgan has also already been a defensive coordinator, coaching Louisiana Lafayette the last two seasons.
Last year, Morgan’s defense ranked 35th in yards per play, and the secondary had 10 or more interceptions in each of his four seasons there. With a secondary that should be elite again in 2024, the Wolverines should have an up-and-coming coach in Morgan who also might be a future replacement for Martindale if they want to keep a deep knowledge of the scheme in place.
Greg Scruggs: A+
The defensive line is in good hands with Scruggs. He joined Wisconsin last year in large part because of his relationship with head coach Luke Fickell, and immediately recruited two four-star defensive linemen to the program in his first full recruiting cycle.
Scruggs previously had a ton of success at Cincinnati, helping the team make a College Football Playoff. He also has professional experience, serving as an assistant under Robert Salah and the New York Jets .
As a former seventh-round NFL draft pick, Scruggs knows what it takes to make it to the next level, and was coached by two of the best football coaches of all time in Pete Caroll and Bill Belichick. He won a Super Bowl with each coach during his NFL career and is now taking those experiences to the next generation of players in college. I think he has a great future as a coach at either level.