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At the top of a mountain, it may seem like the only way to go is down. But the Michigan football team’s defense believes that another, higher peak is emerging from the clouds — and the Wolverines want to climb it.

In 2023, Michigan’s defense ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense and scoring defense. It also led the team to a national championship, so it’s hard to dispute that it was the best in the country. Improving on the best is a nearly impossible task, made even more difficult by the Wolverines losing nine high-end defensive contributors. Despite the turnover and steep climb ahead, that’s the goal they have set for themselves.

I think we know how much of a high standard we were last year,” junior cornerback Will Johnson said Wednesday. “ … It’s hard to match that level or even exceed that level, but that’s just our motivation every day because we know we’re not trying to get complacent and trying to get better every day.”

As Johnson and company strive to surpass their own extremely high standard, plenty of fresh faces have joined the effort. With an entirely new defensive coaching staff, Michigan is sure to evolve in some ways. But with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in command, the system the players are accustomed to will largely remain the same.

This system is really so easy to learn once you understand the concepts of it,” Martindale said March 15. “We’re just at the baby steps of it right now, but the players already know the system. … They’ll say things about, ‘Hey, we called it this last year.’ Most of them I’m like, ‘Alright, well let’s just keep calling it that

Martindale has certainly made some adjustments to suit his preferences — as he admits, he’s “stuck in his ways” — but the early stages of his tenure have been built by implementing player contributions. If he has to choose, he would much prefer that his players, rather than his staff, are the ones with prior knowledge of his system. And that’s what Martindale got with the Wolverines. He has a group of players who are familiar with his base scheme and a group of coaches who will quickly catch on.