Just two months ago, Jesse Minter was [hired](https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/jesse-minter-ravens-head-coach-evolution-eric-decosta-press-conference) as the new head coach of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
But three years ago, Minter roamed the halls of Schembechler Hall. As the Michigan football team’s defensive coordinator in 2023, Minter led the nation’s top scoring defense en route to a National Championship.
Three years and two head coaches later, Jay Hill, now the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator, sits in Minter’s former role. And he believes his defense resembles that of his predecessor. Although Hill’s defense this season doesn’t boast the same talent Minter’s elite unit did, he believes the two schemes have very similar principles.
“I compared (our defense) a lot to the 2023 defense that was here at Michigan,” Hill said Thursday.
The common threads? Creating confusion. Causing chaos. Not letting the offense know what’s coming. Like Minter’s defense, Hill utilizes a variety of coverages and blitz packages to keep opponents on their toes.
And results have followed. By throwing different looks at opposing offenses, Hill’s 2024 BYU defense forced 29 turnovers, tying them for second in the nation, followed by a 24-takeaway season in 2025. In 2023, Minter’s defense led the nation with 18.
“We want to be multiple in the front, three down and four down,” Hill said. “We want to be multiple with our coverages, and we want to be multiple with our blitz packages, man pressures, zone pressures, two-high pressures, three-high pressures. … We’re not just grabbing stuff out of a bag, but it’s intentional, and we’re calling things for a specific purpose and done correctly.”
However, the origins of Hill’s defense don’t go back to Minter or any other coach in Ann Arbor, or even Hill himself. It turns out the defense started with Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham and his father, Fred.
Before employing the scheme with the Cougars, Hill got his first exposure to the Whittingham defense as a linebacker at Utah, under then-defensive coordinator Kyle and then-linebackers coach Fred. And he maintains that he’s still never seen anyone call a defense quite like Kyle.
“They had developed (the defense) back when coach (Whittingham’s) dad was an NFL defensive coordinator,” Hill said. “I’m one of the very few people that’s actually seen coach (Kyle) Whittingham and how he called it, and I can tell you, he was the best defensive coordinator (and) defensive mind I’ve seen. We haven’t tried to change it too much.”
But it’ll be Hill, not Kyle, at the controls this season. And with a new set of personnel, changes are imminent.
Notably, Hill tends to play a 4-3 base defense, unlike what Michigan has done in the past. Minter’s 2023 unit, as well as Wink Martindale’s defenses in 2024 and 2025, almost exclusively played three cornerbacks at a time. To boot, the Wolverines are thin at linebacker but have strong returning cornerbacks, and Hill has already hinted at utilizing a slot corner this season. Graduate Zeke Berry and senior Smith Snowden are both strong fits at nickel corner, while senior Jyaire Hill will likely play exclusively on the outside.
“I like Zeke Berry at nickel, I like Smith Snowden at nickel,” Jay said. “We’ll try to find the matchup that we can get the best three or four corners on the field.”
Most relevantly, Michigan doesn’t return as much talent on defense as in years past. The Wolverines return Berry and Jyaire while adding Snowden at corner, but they aren’t as experienced on the defensive line or at linebackers. Michigan [added](https://www.michigandaily.com/sports/football/michigan-lands-utah-edge-rusher-john-henry-daley-from-transfer-portal/) senior defensive end John Henry Daley via the portal to compensate for losing its top three sack leaders from last year. And at linebacker, the Wolverines lost their four leading tacklers from last season.
Jay’s unit isn’t as stocked with talent as other Michigan defenses, and he’ll likely make a few adjustments to fit his new squad.
But he’ll still put his defenses in position to do what they do best: cause chaos. Just as Fred, Kyle and then Minter, did before him.