Could Jesse Minter following Jim Harbaugh lead to Michigan transfer portal exodus?

As a surprise to absolutely no one, Jesse Minter will in fact follow Jim Harbaugh to the NFL. The former defensive coordinator at Michigan will join the former Wolverines head coach in the same role on his first Los Angeles Chargers staff. Minter's defense, particularly the pass rush, is what helped the Wolverines win the College Football Playoff last year. His stock is soaring and could not be higher.

However, there is a downside to this for the Michigan faithful. While promoting offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore from within was the right call to make at this time, I would not be shocked if more coaches besides Harbaugh follow him to the NFL besides Minter. With potential NCAA sanctions coming from the sign-stealing scandal, this is a great way to overcome receiving a show cause.

Not to say Minter will be implicated in anything associated with Connor Stalions, but his departure from Michigan is almost as significant as Harbaugh's. This is because he does not coach on the same side of the ball that Harbaugh specializes in. While some players on the Wolverines may be all about Moore going forward, there is a chance Minter was more of their guy. Minter's departure is impactful.

There are a lot of reasons why Michigan is a major regression next year, and Minter leaving is one.

Could we see a massive talent exodus on the defensive side of the ball happen after Minter's exit?

Jesse Minter leaving for NFL may negatively impact Michigan's defense

No, I don't think players are going to leave Michigan for the transfer portal in droves, but some might. This is not going to be like the mass exodus of talent after Nick Saban retired and Kalen DeBoer replaced him at Alabama. However, I would liken this to something I told my FanSided colleague Cody Williams on the latest episode of False Start. This kind of reminds me of the 1985 Chicago Bears...

It is a bit of a different dynamic. Only the Bears organization puts that team on a pedestal some 40 years later. However, I think the dynamic between head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan is a lesson we can all learn from. Ditka was the face of the team, but that defense loved Ryan more than anything. Removing Harbaugh from the equation here had me at that comparison.

I think the Michigan offense will be fine under Moore. Offensive linemen are going to love playing for him, as he is one of their own. The running game should be solid. While wide receivers may not love this change at the helm, Michigan will sustain excellence on offense so long as quarterback play is solid. Then again, who on God's green earth is replacing J.J. McCarthy under center next season?

Overall, I am afraid that the Michigan defense will regress massively with Minter going away. They could look to promote somebody within, but I feel that part of the Wolverines football culture will be the hardest to recreate in a world without Harbaugh in the middle of it. If anybody dips into the transfer portal off last year's championship team, I would suspect it would be a defensive player.

Special teams may have been bad, but the bottleneck for this team next year will be the defense.