Jesse Minter sends farewell message to Michigan after accepting Chargers DC job
Michigan lost another big piece from its coaching staff when defensive coordinator Jesse Minter following Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers. Minter had spent the past two seasons with the Wolverines, helping them lead the country in scoring defense and win a national championship in 2023.
The coach will now return to the pros after spending four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens from 2017-20, but he is grateful for his time in Ann Arbor. He took to Twitter on Tuesday, where he made his appreciation to the fans and players known.
“Nothing but love to everyone at Michigan, especially the players,” Minter wrote. “We had a great journey together.”
Minter was a part of back-to-back Big Ten Championships and College Football Playoff appearances in his time at Michigan. He served as the interim head coach for the first game of this past season while Harbaugh was suspended.
The Wolverines ranked among the top 10 teams in total defense each of the past two seasons, as well a top five in scoring defense. Now Minter will aim to bring that success with him to the NFL, where he’ll have his work cut out for him with a Chargers team that ranked 28th in yards allowed per game and 24th in points allowed per game in the NFL.
But even as his moves on to the next step in his career, Michigan will always hold a special place in his heart.
More on the career of Jesse Minter
Minter played football at Division III Mount St. Joseph University where he was a wide receiver, starting off his coaching career immediately after his playing career as a defensive intern at Notre Dame. After one year with the Fighting Irish, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati before getting his first job as a position coach, becoming the linebackers coach at FCS Indiana State.
He was promoted to defensive coordinator at Indiana State, spending two seasons in the role before becoming Georgia State’s defensive coordinator in 2013. And following four seasons in Atlanta, Minter joined Harbaugh’s brother John Harbaugh as a part of the Baltimore Ravens staff.
Minter spent four seasons on John Harbaugh’s staff, working his way up from defensive assistant to defensive backs coach in his final season with the Ravens before returning to the college game in 2021 to become Vanderbilt‘s defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Where he spent just one season before joining the other Harbaugh brother and the Wolverines.
“They’re so similar. They’re both just elite leaders,” Minter said regarding the Harbaugh brothers. “They can bring people together. They can get guys to play as a team but still have their personality and still let their personality shine. So both have just great cultures in their locker rooms, great team, great staff culture, and just both are two of the best leaders in all of sports.”