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Jesse Minter's former mentor shares telling message about Ravens' new head coach

It was clear that he was going to be successful a long time ago...
ByEamon Cassels|
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Jan 29, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Sashi Brown, Jesse Minter, and Eric DeCosta on the podium at the press conference introducing Jesse Minter at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Sashi Brown, Jesse Minter, and Eric DeCosta on the podium at the press conference introducing Jesse Minter at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images | Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images

It seems like every day, another person has something nice to say about new Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter. Most recently, former Ravens defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale said that Minter had a lot of responsibilities during his previous stint with Baltimore. Furthermore, he noted that he could tell that Minter had a bright future. 

"The thing that stood out with me (about Minter) is just how serious he was about the profession... For as good as we were defensively, he put a lot into it and had a lot of responsibility and was really good at his job and you just knew he was just going to keep climbing the ladder. I was disappointed when he left to go to Vanderbilt... I was just disappointed because I wanted him to stay with me. I also understood that he wanted to be a coordinator, obviously, it was the right move for him... You knew he was going to be successful," Martindale said. 

Minter had multiple roles with the Ravens from 2017 to 2020, including serving as a defensive assistant from 2017 to 2018, an assistant defensive backs coach in 2019 and finally the defensive backs coach in 2020. The past three years coincided with Martindale's DC tenure. 

Earlier this month, Minter called Martindale his mentor and a Ravens legend. It's clear that Martindale influenced his coaching trajectory. 

And while he was the DBs coach for a year, he seemingly handled a lot of responsibilities before this promotion. It isn't all that common for a non-position coach to have significant responsibilities; this is also a testament to Minter.

Jesse Minter has all the makings of a great head coach

Martindale saying that "you knew he was going to be successful" is certainly noteworthy. Great coaches have a way about them and to Martindale's point, sometimes you can tell that you are looking at a future star. It's just like being around a future great player; sometimes you know. 

In recent years, we have continued to see young coaches have a remarkable amount of success. Mike Macdonald (ouch) and Ben Johnson are two prime examples of this. The trend of young coaches helping transform teams started back in 2017 with Sean McVay. 

Whether it's leadership skills, attention to detail, brilliant schematics, or a high drive to be great, Minter checks all the boxes you could ask for from a game-changing young coach. There's simply no reason why he can't be the next great young coach. 

Minter should be able to transform the Ravens' defense after a lackluster season. Additionally, he is already giving the Ravens a strong identity and rebuilding the culture. These improvements could help the Ravens return to Super Bowl contention and perhaps even get them over the hump after years of being so close. 

From the moment Minter was hired, there have been nothing but great signs and Martindale's admission about his early career further adds to this buzz. Overall, all signs point to the Ravens having a superstar young coach on their hands -- that should give fans a ton of hope about the upcoming season and beyond. 

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