5 things to know about new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter

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After two weeks of meticulous searching, the Ravens have agreed to terms with Jesse Minter to become the franchise’s next head coach. He was scheduled to interview for the Browns head coaching job on Thursday, but Mary Kay Cabot reports that Minter canceled that interview, narrowing his choices down.

Minter then succeeded current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald as Michigan’s defensive coordinator when Macdonald joined the Ravens in 2022. After winning a national title in 2023, Minter followed Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers, and his defenses have earned respect around the league as Los Angeles is tied for second in interceptions (15) and tied for eighth in takeaways (18).

With the news now official, here are five things to know.

Minter is a Raven

You don’t officially become a Raven until you’re a part of the first win with the club over the Steelers, and Minter has been a part of his share of wins in Baltimore. Minter was on the Ravens’ staff from 2017-20, first as a defensive assistant before rising through the ranks to assistant defensive backs coach and, eventually, defensive backs coach in 2020.

Minter’s units get busy

At Michigan, Minter’s unit was the top-ranked defense in the country in 2023, allowing just 247.0 total net yards per game en route to a College Football Playoff National Championship, and ranked No. 2 in the nation over his two-season span as defensive coordinator (268.8). Then a rising star, Minter was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2022, an honor annually presented to the top assistant coach in college football. As an encore to landing the Ravens job, the Chargers finished the season ranked 5th in the league in defense. The Chargers held opponents to 20 points or fewer ten times down the stretch, tied for third in interceptions with 19.

Minter loves his quarterback

Minter once said this about quarterback Lamar Jackson: “the most electric quarterback in the history of the National Football League.”

Steve Bisciotti has talked about getting Jackson a new contract, and he hired a head coach who is a fan of his quarterback and will take steps to find an offensive coordinator who can take his MVP to another level in the postseason.

Minter has earned his stripes

Minter was the defensive coordinator at Georgia State from 2013-16, earning his first Broyles nomination in 2015. Minter hit the big time when he joined the Ravens’ staff in 2017, beginning as a defensive assistant before being promoted to assistant defensive backs coach in 2020 and eventually to defensive backs coach in 2020.

Rick Minter

Football is in Minter’s blood, and it started with his father, the legendary Rick Minter. The elder Minter has an extensive resume, but he’s best known for 1992 to 1993, when he served as the defensive coordinator for the University of Notre Dame, leading the Irish to a #2 national ranking. As the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati (94-03), he compiled a 53–63–1 record. Among the long list of Bearcat head coaches, Minter holds both the record for the second-most career wins and the record for the most career losses.

Reporting by Glenn Erby , Ravens Wire / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.