Although Michigan won’t hit the field in the Big House for another 32 days, football season has already begun. With Big Ten Media Days marking the unofficial start of the 2024 season last week, players and coaches are gearing up for the start of fall camp this week.

During a meeting with the media on Tuesday, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale shared his vision for Michigan’s defense this fall as he begins his first season in Ann Arbor.

“Smart, humble and hungry,” Martindale said. “I think I heard Makari (Paige) say that at Big Ten (Media Days). We are never the hunted, we are always the hunters. And it’s true. I understand exactly what he’s saying, because there’s a certain level of expectation to be at this great university. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Sherrone (Moore) has hired the staff that he has hired, that we have the players that we have. We’re just going to attack, no matter what anybody else says.”

As for who Martindale is as a play-caller, it’s clear that “aggression” plays a big role in how he operates. While that philosophy has drawn some unfair comparisons to former UM defensive coordinator Don Brown, Martindale is confident it will continue to work in Ann Arbor.

“Am I an aggressive play-caller? Yeah, I’m an aggressive play-caller,” Martindale said. “We’ve won a lot of football games by aggressively calling plays. When it doesn’t work, everybody comes out and says, ‘He’s blitzing too much.’ You don’t hear that when you’re winning, you hear how creative you are. So you just don’t listen to any of that. We find the right mix of pressure, simulate it, everything else. We find the right mix, and that’s what training camp is for.”

Overall, the expectation for Michigan’s defense is to continue to be one of the best units in all of college football. The Wolverines finished No. 1 in the nation in total defense last season, allowing just 247 yards per game. Michigan also finished No. 1 in scoring defense, holding teams to an average of just 10.4 points per game. While Martindale acknowledges there’s some pressure to continue that success, he says the standard remains the same.

“You’re not worth a grain of salt if you don’t feel pressure every year as a coach, no matter where you’re at,” Martindale said. “Do you want to be better than that? Of course you do. But sometimes what you want isn’t always what you get. There’s different opponents, different offenses than what they’ve had. And everything just fits together perfectly when you end up No. 1. I’ve been around No. 1 defenses, and everything just fits together perfectly that season. But I think there’s no question where the bar is. And there’s no question where we all set the bar … and that’s to be the best in the country. And I’m not going to hide from that. I’m not going to run away from that and neither are we as a defense.”

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