Former Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has been hired as Michigan's new defensive coordinator.
At 60 years old, Martindale has too long of a coaching history to run down. But as a native of Ohio, he went on to play at Defiance and then spent time coaching at Western Kentucky in the early 2000s, winning a DI-AA (now FCS) national championship as the defensive coordinator under Jack Harbaugh in 2002. He would go on to become the Oakland Raiders linebackers coach in 2004 and has been in the NFL ever since, spending time with the Raiders, Denver Broncos, Ravens, and then Giants.
Hit the jump for more.
Martindale coached the Ravens linebackers from 2012-2017 before moving up to defensive coordinator from 2018-2021. His defenses ranked #1, #4, #7, and #25 in that span. Following the 2021 season, he and the Ravens had a mutual parting of ways, leading to his spending 2022 and 2023 as the defensive play caller for the Giants. He reportedly left the Giants after the 2023 season when head coach Brian Daboll fired some of the defensive assistants without consulting Martindale . . . which is kind of like firing Martindale, but not quite.
Overall, Martindale is a highly qualified coach to carry on the defensive system Michigan has been running since 2021. Following the Wolverines' firing of Don Brown in 2020, Jim Harbaugh turned to his brother for suggestions, and John Harbaugh sent defensive assistant Mike Macdonald to the Wolverines. When Macdonald left after one year, another former Ravens assistant Jesse Minter came to Michigan for 2022-2023. The coordinator who taught Macdonald and Minter the ropes in Baltimore?
Don "Wink" Martindale.
There has been concern on the internet because of Martindale's age . . . and his lack of recruiting in the past twenty years . . . and his lack of familiarity with the college game. Let me address these one by one:
- Age is just a number: Wink Martindale is 60 years old and will be 61 by the beginning of the season. When Don Brown was hired in 2016, he was 61 at the beginning of the season. When Greg Mattison was hired in 2011, he was 61. Mattison and Brown were both great recruiters and they were highly effective in different ways. Brown had one of the top defenses in the country for several seasons. Mattison wasn't quite as effective statistically, but his defense was a huge step up from the Rich Rodriguez years.
- Recruiting is just one part of the equation: While it is true that Martindale will probably not be an energetic recruiter turning over every rock and searching every nook and cranny for potential studs, it's extremely rare for a coach to check every box. Some coaches are great tacticians and poor recruiters. Some coaches are great recruiters but lacking in X's and O's. Macdonald had zero interest in recruiting and Minter had just a passing one, so Martindale's lack of interest will largely be a continuation of whatever Michigan had for the past three years at the position.
- This isn't 2005: Criticism of guys coming from the NFL used to be relevant. There was a time when quarterbacks were statues, and the few exceptions were guys who just happened to be able to create if the pocket broke down - Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Jeff Garcia, Randall Cunningham, etc. It wasn't often that NFL teams had options and designed runs for athletic quarterbacks. But in the past fifteen years, the NFL has adopted designed runs and options with the likes of Cam Newton, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and others. Martindale has been defending running quarterbacks for his entire defensive coordinator career and has lived in the world of RPOs, so the college game shouldn't be a huge change for him.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is 38 years old and in his first head coaching gig. I believe he needs an older, more experienced coach to bounce ideas off of. Ideally, that person would exist on defense so Moore can entrust that side of the ball to someone who can handle the burden. Throw in the fact that Michigan's defenders shouldn't have to adjust to much new terminology, and this should be a pretty seamless transition on the field.
Michigan has a national championship-caliber defense returning, so changing philosophies doesn't make sense. Even if you assume - which I do - that Martindale will be here for a maximum of two seasons, it's best to keep things as similar as possible so those guys can keep playing fast.
With news coming out today that defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale will follow Jim Harbaugh to Los Angeles, here's a look at the coaching staff as it stands today:
- HC: Sherrone Moore
- OC/QB: Kirk Campbell
- RB: Mike Hart
- WR: Ronald Bellamy
- TE: Steve Casula
- OL: Grant Newsome
- DC: Wink Martindale
- DL: ???
- LB: ???
- DB: ???
- STC: J.B. Brown
Agree with everything in this post. This is an excellent hire for a college program and potentially a great fit beside Sherrone to have a "head coach of the defense" with him. I just liked the fit a whole lot more with clink than without him... Still a very good get for Michigan.
ReplyDeleteNext step is landing a dl coach who has has some juice . Keeping defensive personnel in tact should be the priority for now.
Otherwise find coaches who complement wink, know Michigan and college landscape.
For anyone worried about recruiting, think about it this way. Are Moore/Campbell/Wink going to do better or worse than Moore/harbaugh/minter?
ReplyDeleteI would not be so sure that wink will be a dud on the recruiting trail anyway. He's got a big name, personality and is known as a players coach. Mattison was a strong recruiter at 60+
I think Martindale has a chance to bring in players just because they're in awe of who he is and what he's accomplished. How much does that really matter if he's gone by the time they arrive on campus? Realistically, if he helps land a 2025 defensive line recruit...by the time any defensive lineman is ready to play in 2026, Martindale will probably be gone.
Delete"How much does that really matter if he's gone by the time they arrive on campus" "by the time any defensive lineman is ready to play in 2026, Martindale will probably be gone."
DeleteThat's true for any and every coach in America. It's true for Jim Knowles, Manny Diaz and was true for Minter and McDonald and Elston and... So I'm not sure this one holds up as particularly relevant. Any coach can be gone at any time.
Except that guy at Iowa LOL.
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As for the awe factor... I think this narrative is mostly relevant to parents. I don't know how many 16 and 17 year olds are too interested in coordinators or even know their names, let alone in awe of them. Especially guys who have gotten as much notoriety as fame in the last 2 years. Yes, Wink has a bigger profile than many college coordinators out there, but these guys are getting recruited on vibes and atmosphere and personal connections -- not how much screen time their coaches have had on NFL broadcasts.
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To me the big question is if Wink is going to embrace recruiting or if he's going to be annoyed by it. It's in how much he is willing to put in to connect with teens before they come and sell them on Michigan as a program, presumably using the NFL path as an angle.
Recruiting is about charisma and effort. Most of the people doing it are qualified in one way or another so I don't think recruits are necessarily scrutinizing resumes like we might.
Just my 2 cents but I think given the low expectations that Wink may do better on the recruiting trail than some are saying.
While inevitable, I do not like this hire. Ravens and Giants kind of fired him. Ravens chose Orr over him when Mcdonald left to be Seattle coach. Is he going to be good enough for us to scheme against Ohio State when we are at a talent deficit? I doubt it. He seems like a good but not great coach.
ReplyDeleteIf I am Moore, I would not be pigeon-holed in looking for a DC who can coach the Baltimore System. I would be looking for the most innovative defensive mind capable of overcoming the talent deficit we face against the Bama/OSU of the world. Perhaps someone like Belichick, the one who got the DC job in Washington.
I think the Orr thing is kind of irrelevant. The Ravens and Martindale just parted ways in 2021. Why would they get back together? That's like saying, "Well, Bill and his ex-girlfriend broke up and then didn't get back together after they dated around, so Bill's ex-girlfriend must be a bad girlfriend."
DeleteThey already tried the relationship. It ran its course.
I don't understand the logic you're talking about with Belichick. The Ravens' system has stopped OSU three years in a row and Alabama once. They're literally 4-0 in the matchups you're discussing.
When has Belichick's defense stopped OSU or Alabama? It hasn't.
In other words, if I'm a surgeon with 100% success rate fixing heart valves using a particular technique, I'm not going to switch techniques just because I want to be different and switch things up.
We are not "talent" deficient vs OSU. Not sure what you are looking at.
DeleteWe just won the National Championship and had statistically the best season ever. Do they have better recruiting rankings? yes. That is quantitative fact. What the recruiting rankings don't measure is balance. UM has done a great job keeping OL DL flush with top end players to start with quality backups while recruiting well at all positions.
Those 5 first round WR's for OSU in 2021 didn't add up to ONE 3 star RB.
UM will have powerful run game coming back, 5 new OL but they are all grown ass dudes, and possible will run QB power/run option with Orji who is like a Tim Tebow only faster.
NFL teams chose other people over our last few coordinators too. The fact is that most guys who are NFL coordinators would rather be NFL coordinators than college coordinators. So NFL not choosing you is pretty much necessary to the job. LOL
DeletePeople are acting like we got McDonald over the NFL but remember that McDonald was here for 1 year and only when he had no coordinator experience whatsoever. No NFL team was going to hire him to be a DC after 2020, he wasn't even in the conversation anywhere. The second he could he left for the NFL - same for Minter.
On paper, Wink is the most impressive DC hire in Michigan history. Maybe second to Don Brown if you value college experience over NFL heavily. I don't know if it's going to work or not but I know he is way more qualified than anyone we've had and I doubt he would be at Michigan without the Harbaugh's encouraging him to do it.
NFL guy, successful guy. Invented the system we run. We should be good for this year, next year and on paper, this is a better defense coming back. Not sure why people don't like the hire. The only reason not to like the hire would be wink can't get along with others, the players, and staff and that is an unknown. It would come out in the interview and I would trust the hiring team on that matter to flesh that issue out.
ReplyDeleteLosing all the position coaches is a concern and my concern is they (guessing here as a possibility) are bolting because UM is clueless in the NIL, will get smoked in the recruiting/portal, and they are hitting the sell on UM at ATH and getting out of dodge while the they have value. IF UM doesn't offer a competent NIL program, I can't see UM being competitive in 3 years.
Short term, as long as UM doesn't lose players, they are a top 4 team and will make the playoffs with a decent chance to repeat.
Agree MM -- some of the criticism's against Wink seem to be people making assumptions about him because he's 60 and coming from the NFL. Well we just had success with a bunch of guys who are coming in with Ravens connections including Mattison who worked out pretty well too. Let the guy do his job before you say he can't do the recruiting thing.
DeleteTop 4 team?- too soon to say. Gotta see what happens in the portal in the spring.
DeleteI think at the moment if you assume status quo then Oregon and OSU are well ahead of Michigan in the Big Ten and some SEC teams will have things to say too. Coaching transitions are usually costly but we have a chance to ride this one out smoothly if Sherrone, Sean, and Warde can steer this ship overt the next 4 months or so...
1) My criticism against Wink is not about really about his age or his inability to recruit. It is because two NFL franchise has passed on him. Given his age, he is probably who is at this point. He is unlikely to improve. I would rather we go for someone younger and has yet to reach his maximum potential. (By the way, I do not have an issue if we have hired Belichick Sr or Vrabel or Dan Quinn who are both a bit older so it is not just the age thing).
Delete2) I do not like that we pigeonhole our coordinator search to someone who has great understanding of the Ravens defense. Yes it worked for us in the past 3 years but I guarantee you that Ohio State will scheme to beat that defense. I would rather have a coach who is smart and capable of adapting to what the opposition does. Michigan defense is really good in the second half because Minter/McDonald are really good at adjusting. It is not just about the Ravens defense. It is the adjustments.
3) Regarding Belichick, I am just throwing a name out there. I do not know if he is as brilliant as his dad in scheming the defense. I am sure among the coaches they know who the upcoming coaches are.
4) What I meant with regards to talent deficit is that Ohio/Oregon/Bama/Georgia/LSU will always outrecruit us. We are not winning those recruiting battles head to head. So Harbaugh had to pivot and find the undervalued positions (OL and DL) and it worked. It worked because we have terrific coaches who can maximize those talents. Is Wink the guy? Is Wink capable of assembling assistant coach who is capable of matching their predecessors? I will be disappointed if he is the second coming of Don Brown (I know he has great stats but he is incapable of adjusting...)
5) As a fan, of course I hope I am wrong about Wink. I hope he succeed and bring Michigan to another Big Ten title.
Michigan is not beating out NFL teams for coordinators. Start there. Any DC we get will be getting "passed on" by the NFL. That's just how it works. The NFL "passed" on McDonald when we got him. The NFL "passed" on Minter when we got him. When the NFL stops passing on these guys, they get them -- see Minter, see McDonald.
DeleteWe don't need Wink to improve - he's an NFL caliber coordinator which is way beyond vast majority of college teams have.
"I do not have an issue if we have hired Belichick " Oh, You don't mind if we hire one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time? Well that's nice. Do you also not mind if we hire Nick Saban? LOL. C'mon man.
I think you should consider that Wink is "a coach who is smart and capable of adapting to what the opposition does." since he adapted his defense in the NFL multiple times and has proven to be very creative. He likes to blitz and that's OK but I wouldn't assume he can't be multiple. Because he has been. In a way Don Brown was not.
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I am with you FT on the talent deficit, though I am not sure we can say that about the 2023 defense which had NFL players all over it. With the portal's help that group plugged every hole around some excellent talent. I don't know that we would have traded personnel with anyone - though Alabama could make a case I don't know that anybody else could.
"What I meant with regards to talent deficit is that Ohio/Oregon/Bama/Georgia/LSU will always outrecruit us. We are not winning those recruiting battles head to head. So Harbaugh had to pivot and find the undervalued positions (OL and DL) and it worked. It worked because we have terrific coaches who can maximize those talents."
DeleteI will agree with the first point but not with the "find the undervalued positions (OL and DL)" point. These positions are not undervalued (everybody wants highly ranked and elite DL) but rather less tied to recruiting rankings. i.e. the top WRs, CBs, etc. have a strong relation to the highest ranked. Whereas it's more common to find under-ranked OL and DL. My guess is that OSU out-recruited Michigan even on the OL (based on ratings) but Michigan was able to turn some 3/4 star guys into NFL draft picks that performed as well or better than OSU's 5 star guys. That's less likely to happen with WR/CB/RBs. So Michigan focused on that as it's foundation (but still had a 5 star-ish QB and RB).
Agree Kurt, OL and TE are undervalued. Michigan has landed some big impact portal contributors at the latter two position groups and done a great job finding and developing under the radar recruits otherwise. I call that a market inefficiency -- that we've exploited. Please keep it up Sherrone!
DeleteI think if you stick to a Harbaugh-style offense then you can get by with continued focus on an elite OL and TE depth, without elite talent at WR or RB. WR is deemphasized in this O. RB talent has never been an issue at Michigan. You can shrug off those skill positions and get whoever you get, IMO. This means guys like Ronnie Bell, Kaleel Mullings instead of Donovan Peoples Jones and Donovan Edwards. You don't love it - but you can live with it, and focus your collectives on other areas that align with your system.
But QB....we've just seen how big of a deal having an NFL caliber QB can be. There needs to be a plan in place to take advantage of the portal opportunities -- and fund them. If not now then soon.
BTW -- some of the best news I've seen this offseason came via Sam Webb when he indicated the collectives have stepped up massively in keeping our DTs on the roster and fending off aggressive recruitments from other programs. I guess counts as a rumor not news at this point but it's highly encouraging.
Delete2024 OFF SEASON BEST NEWS TOP 5
1. Sherrone Moore, Head Coach
2. Paige/Moore spurn NFL to return
3. No damaging transfer attrition (pending...) indicating NIL is doing it's job again.
4. Wink at DC
5. Pribe via Portal
Edwards spurns NFL to return just misses the cut IMO, but that's mostly because I have faith in the other options. Newsome and Campbell being retained may belong higher as well.
I don't know how anyone could possibly have a problem with this hire. Why on earth would you want to have to install a new system and new terminology for an ass kicking veteran defense when you can simply walk out to the first day of spring practice and start repping at full speed without having to think about nothing.
ReplyDeleteOf course the guy is gonna make changes, but Martindale was one of the few guys out there steeped in the system our guys ALREADY KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With Martindale, we are out there for 15 spring practices, tweaking, adding twists and adjustments. The D is already installed we're dealing with nuance rather than an entirely new system. Nobody has to waste a second thinking about what we're doing, we've been doing it now for two years. All we have to do is get faster at it and maybe play with some twists.
I love this hire.
Now, lets get us some young stud recruiters at the DL, LB and DB.
Roanman
While I'd rather have a young, recruiting focused coach, for THIS defense (style & experience), the Wink hire is a great one ... I didn't like losing Elston, but getting Scruggs seems like a win
DeleteAgreed, Roanman. While I'm not sure that Michigan will be a top-3 defense or anything, it seems pretty clear that there's not going to be a massive dropoff. So if Michigan goes from being like #1 to #10 or #15, that's still probably a win for the program. If you change systems or go with an unproven coach who happens to be a good recruiter, you never know if this defense could drop off to #30 or #50.
DeleteI think the time to make a change in systems *may* come in 2025 or 2026 when the core of the defense has departed for the NFL (Graham, Grant, Johnson, etc.) and/or when teams start to catch up to this style of defense.
@Roanman. Agree. The personnel, if they keep it together, is better than 2023 so you want to keep together as much as you can. The coach maybe is slightly past his peak but still the guy who taught the defense to our last 2 DCs and still an NFL-quality coordinator.
Delete@Thunder. Sounds like you expect a bigger dropoff than I do. Is there a reason for that?
@ Lank 12:46 p.m.
DeleteI'm not really saying there WILL be a dropoff...but defenses are measured holistically. The offense has an impact. I think there will be a dropoff on offense, because there's no J.J. McCarthy, Roman Wilson, Zak Zinter, Blake Corum, etc. So if that leads to shorter possessions, more turnovers, fewer sustained drives, etc., then that's going to impact the defense.
Thanks. I get your point now. I think it depends on what measures you are looking at - a lot of the "smart" numbers are per possession, per play, and consider the situational context.
DeleteI don't think any of them consider fatigue though - and if your offense is going 3 and out on a bunch of drives in a row your defense can certainly get compromised due to fatigue. Depth is a big factor here as well and we are probably not going to be as deep given the lack of portal additions compared to last year.
But even if the offense is going 3 and out more often and shorter drives mean shorter rests for our defense, the defense still can dictate things. Only if they are not holding up their end of the bargain does fatigue start setting in. If they are giving those 3 and outs right back at the opposing offense, it's not an issue. If they are giving up long sustained drives, things can snowball though.
To me it (offensive performance) does not seem like a primary factor in where the defense would rank in the fancy stats. Absolutely would in things like points per game. Consider 2010 and 2009 when the offense was doing a lot of scoring with short drives long drives and in between drives -- but the defense was awful. They were awful in the 1st quarter just as they were awful in the 4th.
I expect the 2024 defense to stay in the top 5 level it was at because so much personnel is coming back (fingers crossed for retention) and we're slotting in one NFL-caliber DC for another. I agree the offense can expect a substantial drop given the turnover at every position group is enormous, but I don't think that changes expectations for the defense too much.
I think a top 10-15 defense is a win for the program, but I would be slightly disappointed because D personnel is THAT good.
DeleteSecondary -- Johnson, Moore, Paige, Sabb all look to be on NFL tracks to me
LB - Branham and Hausmann have very high floors
DL - Graham and Grant are generational talents and Moore/Stewart are probably NFL caliber guys too.
Any competent coaching staff should be able to take the field with that personnel and be at a substantial advantage. And again, we have a DC that 95% of college football teams would KILL for, plus a head coach who clearly understands the importance of physicality and controlling the ball on the other side.
OT: will you have something in the summer or fall comparing us to State? They had a coaching disaster and we had a national championship but they seem far better off than us, comparing the experience and national accolades of the entire coaching staff. Also, the skill positions, they have Chiles, Carter and a 5 star WR seem better than ours and most B10 teams. I live in the EL area and have to put up with the most ridiculous fans. Before moving here, I would believed fans are the same for most teams, but I don't think that now. They live to hate us, and you guys are talking Bama and OSU, but I want to see us take care of MSU.
ReplyDeleteBeilien to Howard happened and Jonathan Smith seems to me to be a much higher probability successful coach than Moore, so it could be rough for me soon again.
EL Kurt
I wasn't planning on anything comparing the two. I'm not sure that's necessary.
DeleteIt seems like you might be getting caught up in emotions rather than facts. Yes, MSU landed Chiles, but Michigan might land someone in the portal after spring ball. Carter and a 5-star WR don't necessarily trump Edwards and Colston Loveland. Michigan has been the better program the past few years, and I expect that to continue.
Jonathan Smith is a good hire for MSU. It's still a difficult job at MSU to topple Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, and other programs in the Big Ten (Iowa, Wisconsin, USC, Oregon, Washington, etc.).
If we're comparing ourselves to sparty again, Moore's tenure will be in trouble
Delete2o24 only needs a QB, and we're a playoff team, despite the schedule ... without that, it'll be tough (real tough). 2o25 loses as much on Defense as we are on O this year ... OUCH
Moore is off to a strong start with his staff, and has some portal shenanigans to pull off during this off-season. Get that right, and we remain at the top of the B1G with ohio , Oregon &. PSU ... too big of a drop, and yeah, we could be back to 5o-5o with sparty
I would like to add to my previous comment about talent deficit. We have had great OL production for the last 3 years. Twice winning the Joe Moore awards. Do you guys realize that we did so without having a single guy drafted in the top 4 rounds? Highest was Olu (Round 5 last year). Hayes was a 7th round pick. Zinter would probably be drafted in the first or second round if not for the injury. But that is it. ND/Bama/OSU/PSU/Georgia have early round NFL picks along their OL. This is what I meant about talent deficit and the need for exceptional coaching and development. This is why Moore is our HC right now.
ReplyDeleteYET! We have 6 OL going to the combine and I would bet one of them is going to go in the top 4 rounds. I would be surprised if Zinter fell very far.
DeleteVastardis maybe the only undrafted starter on the 2021 OL. He was replaced by Olu who was drafted also in 2022. Which means we probably had 5 or 6 drafted guys on that unit.
So I'm not sure you can draw a line arbitrarily at 4th round and say we're talent deficient. Especially when some of our worst OLs had 1st round picks on them (e.g., Lewan).
I don't think the connection is there. Our OL talent (as a group) is elite.
This is a story that just came out today
ReplyDeletehttps://www.si.com/college/michiganstate/football/michigan-state-spartans-football-espn-greg-mcelroy-high-praise-jonathan-smith-msu-021424
-I'm still waiting for anything like that about Moore. Thunder, I really appreciate that you responded to my initial question. However, it did seem to be based on long-term trends and not a clear-eyed view like I'm used to from your recruiting rankings and game predictions.
Yes, it's hard for State, but I just went through a decade of crap because of Dantonio, so a reference to long-term history is not encouraging in light of everything being written about Smith. He seems like a program builder with a much better track record than Moore.
To make it worse, JE or Lank didn't have any reasons to show Moore and UM are on a better trajectory than Smith and MSU.
You're not going to see anything like that about Moore because he hasn't been a head coach before. Nobody knows how Moore will do as the head man. It seems to me like you're asking for something that doesn't exist.
DeleteYes, Jonathan Smith has built a program...but not at Michigan State and not in the Big Ten. If you're basing your opinion on who has been the better program builder...then it's Jonathan Smith, hands down. There's nothing I can do to dissuade you from that.
Also, if you're talking purely about trajectory...there's nowhere for Michigan to go except down from 15-0. Sherrone Moore could be a perfectly good coach and go 13-1 next year, and that's a step down. Michigan State could go 5-7 next season, and that would be a step up.
Back in 2001, people said, "There's no reason for us to think that Tom Brady will be better than Drew Bledsoe." Bledsoe had been a solid QB in the NFL since like 1993 and had already gone to a Super Bowl in 1997. We all know how that story ended. But those people were absolutely correct that Bledsoe was more of a proven commodity than Brady.
We'll just have to wait and see.
I'm with Thunder on this. Smith has more proven track record as a HC that Moore doesn't - because Moore's never been a HC. Moore can't bring guys over with him from his last school because Michigan is his last school.
DeleteWe can play the same game with Smith -- he's never coached in the big ten, he has no experience in the midwest, he got absolutely zero of his national championship roster to stick around for next year, he's never recruited at a place that can attract top 20 talent.
None of that is anything that can be held against Smith because he was the coach at a different place where it was impossible for him to do those things. What can though -- Smith hasn't hired anyone as impressive as Wink Martindale. Smith hasn't been the OC on top 5 offense.
Moore's a blank slate as a HC because he has never done it before. Smith has and I like Smith and appreciate what he did at his alma mater but he's never coached at the level he is stepping into. He's being in the northwest his entire career and is stepping into a whole new world in the Big Ten. He knows jack about Michigan or recruiting the midwest, nor does most of his staff that he brought over from Oregon State.
For a neutral school - like maybe let's say Penn State had a vacancy - I could see a pretty legitimate argument of Smith over Moore. But it would be pretty close and definitely subjective.
But for Michigan -- the way the players rallied behind Moore, the continuity of the ELITE program and culture (that Sherrone helped build), and the impressive DC hire, plus the lack of roster attrition (so far, fingers crossed), it's no question in my mind that Moore is the better hire for Michigan.
I would not trade Moore for Smith.
The future is uncertain of course and there is a risk in hiring a guy with zero head coaching experience, but I would bet on Michigan under Moore being better than Michigan State under Smith over the next 5 years and beyond.