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Jim Harbaugh picked his third defensive coordinator in Michigan, and his pick could be his biggest coaching swing to date.
On Sunday afternoon, the Wolverines announced that Baltimore Ravens linebacker coach Mike Macdonald has been hired to lead the Michigan defense. Macdonald succeeds Don Brown, who was fired last month and has since served as a defensive coordinator in Arizona.
Macdonald has no experience as a defensive coordinator and was only a graduate assistant at the college level.
Macdonald had been the Ravens linebacker coach since 2018 and previously coached the Baltimore defensive backs in 2017. Previously, he was a defensive assistant from 2014 to 2016. This fall, Macdonald helped the Ravens post the seventh best overall defense in the NFL and the second best defense in the league. Baltimore also placed in the top five in both categories in 2018 and 2019. During his time as a coach, Macdonald directly coached Pro-Bowl players Eric Weddle, CJ Mosley and Matthew Judon.
Prior to joining John Harbaugh’s staff in Baltimore, Macdonald worked as a graduate assistant with Georgia, his alma mater. Macdonald graduated from Georgia in 2010 and, after spending two of his college years coaching for Cedar Shoals High School, immediately joined the Bulldogs staff as a graduate defensive assistant.
As a graduate assistant with Georgia, Macdonald earned praise for coaching the All-SEC linebacker Ramik Wilson, and was chosen as a graduate assistant to embark on recruiting when changing coaches.
At Michigan, Macdonald will return to a talented defense that is expected to fire a number of starters, but which has been appalling in a shortened 2020 season. The Wolverines have gone 2-4 in 2020, ranking 54th in yards per game allowed, 84th in yards per game allowed and 94th in points per game allowed. Michigan was particularly unhappy against the pass, ranking 90th in passing yards allowed per game, 65th in passer score allowed, allowing 12 touchdown passes against two interceptions and placing 104th. for bags per game.
Still, the Wolverines appear poised to have a solid core to work with in 2021. Aidan Hutchinson, Brad Hawkins, Daxton Hill, Josh Ross, Michael Barrett, Gemon Green, Vincent Gray and Christopher Hinton give Michigan eight top starters who are expected to return, while others like Donovan Jeter, Makari Paige, Taylor Upshaw and Julius Welschof are also expected to return. In total, the Wolverines plan to fire 19 four- or five-star defensive rookies, add three more to the 2022 recruiting class, and actively pursue the NCAA transfer portal.
VIP: Michigan continues to follow several defensive linemen in the transfer portal.
As of yet, it’s unclear who will join Macdonald on the defensive staff. Cornerback coach Michael Zordich and safety coach Bob Shoop are not expected to stay with the Wolverines, while linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and defensive line coach Shaun Nua have uncertain status . A list of potential secondary coaches can be found here.
Stay true to 247Sports for more on this developing story.
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