“Next man up,” the father of Michigan’s Jesse Minter steps in as an emergency coach.
On Saturday, December 30, 2023, during practice at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Michigan linebackers coach Rick Minter leads. Because of the rainy weather, the practice was moved to the stadium.
PASADENA, California: Although it wasn’t in the original plan, Rick Minter felt compelled to follow his long-standing advice to his players.
The 69-year-old father of Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and veteran college football coach is back in the saddle as a full-time assistant coach. even if it’s only a temporary position.
The elder Minter was promoted to one of Michigan’s 11 on-field coaches in November after Chris Partridge was abruptly fired from his position as an analyst for the Wolverines. He was also given responsibility for the linebackers.
Popular assistant coach and elite recruiter Partridge was fired on November 17 after it was found by school administrators that he had obstructed an ongoing NCAA probe into in-person scouting. Ever since, Minter has been called upon to step up and cover for the top-ranked Wolverines, who will take on Alabama in Monday’s Rose Bowl (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Next week, Rick Minter told MLive, “I was just the next man up.” “My defense mantra is ‘When one man goes down, next man up.'” Simply put, I’m the next man up.
Minter has carried that philosophy with him for over forty years, having served as defensive coordinator at South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati in addition to his lengthy tenure as head coach at Cincinnati.
Which is understandable given that for the past two years, the elder Minter has mainly operated in the background. Rick Minter assigned his son Jesse, who became Michigan’s offensive coordinator in 2021, the responsibility of analyzing film of upcoming opponents and devising a strategy to thwart their run game. Sometimes people would heed that advice. Occasionally, it wouldn’t. However, the father-son football team has a long history of collaboration dating back to Georgia State in 2016, when Jesse Minter, the defensive coordinator, also supervised Rick, the linebackers coach.
Rick Minter remarked, “It’s mostly business, but it’s been fun.” Though mostly it’s business, sometimes it becomes personal. I work with other people. I would like him to take a look a. The elder Minter is affectionately referred to by Michigan linebackers as the “grandpa of the room” because of his wise counsel and defense-directing experience. Additionally, graduate student and former Tennessee linebacker LaTroy Lewis coaches players at the position one-on-one.
Soon after his father was appointed to the new position, Jesse Minter said, “Obviously you want people you trust and you know how they’re going to handle situations.” He has been present for the past few years. He is a great asset to the defensive staff and me. “To try and keep the train moving as best we could under those circumstances was a great move and great situation for us.”
It most definitely has. Middle linebackers play a key role in stabilizing Michigan’s defense, which is regarded as one of the best in the nation with a 9.5 points per game average. Ernest Hausmann, Junior Colson, and sixth-year player Michael Barrett have combined for 71 starts. Colson leads the team in tackles, and both he and Barrett were selected as this year’s all-Big Ten players.
According to Rick Minter, “we assumed Mike Barrett was gone when we recruited Ernest.” Like so many other guys in their fifth and sixth year, he decided that he wanted to return for the ring. Over the past 24 months, the elder Minter has had the luxury of observing the Michigan from a distance. He has seen the foundational elements of Macdonald’s system develop into a well-functioning unit, where Michigan is prepared to field up to 20 defenders on any given week. And that is intentional, don’t misunderstand. Because, in the Minters’ opinion, you are more likely to wear down your opponent when you have more skilled players. Rick Minter is eager to find out if it works against Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide offense, but only time will tell. He remarked, “I was just the right guy at the right time.” We simply carried on. They’ve responded really well, and we never miss a beat.
