A new era of Michigan football is upon us, as almost every single defensive coach has left to join Jim Harbaugh in the NFL. To combat that, the Wolverines plucked an NFL defensive coordinator of their own: Don “Wink” Martindale from the New York Giants.
Martindale’s tenure ended very strangely in New York. In early January, the New York Post reported that Wink “cursed out” head coach Brian Daboll. According to the report, Daboll dismissed outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and his brother Kevin, a defensive assistant. Both came with Martindale from his previous job as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens and were highly respected by Martindale.