ANN ARBOR – Joining Michigan’s coaching staff prior to the 2024 season was a full-circle moment for Pernell McPhee.
When Wink Martindale was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens from 2018-21, McPhee played for him for three seasons. After retiring from the NFL following the 2021 season, the former outside linebacker began charting a new career path.
McPhee, now 36, was coaching at Pahokee High School in Florida, his alma mater, when he received a call from Martindale. The 62-year-old Martindale had just been hired as Michigan’s defensive coordinator in February 2024 and wanted McPhee to join him in Ann Arbor.
“That was an exciting moment,” McPhee said Wednesday, noting he was reading the bible when Martindale called. “That was like, ‘This definitely is my stepping stone to coaching at the next level.’ I just took the opportunity, and I’m running with it.”
This offseason, McPhee was promoted from an analyst to outside linebackers coach. Working with the team’s edge rushers, McPhee said he strives to coach with the same enthusiasm he played with during his 11-year NFL career.
“Just the energy that I carry, I think football is all about great energy, expression, the emotion comes out at the end of the day,” he said. “That’s what I coach to the guys; that’s what I preach to the guys – just make sure that great energy wears off on everybody around.”
McPhee, a 2011 fifth-round pick out of Mississippi State, spent seven of his NFL seasons in Baltimore, winning a Super Bowl in 2012. Toward the end of his career, coaching started to become second nature.
“I’m a big formation guy, so when we playing games in the league, I used to always tell the guys, you see this formation, see this back lined up like this, just expect these type of plays, this play, that play. So I always loved that about the game. And it’s just a challenge of just competing. I’m a very competitive guy also.
“I got two young boys myself, and, one day, I hope to coach them. But it’s just always staying around the game of football. I think it’s fun. I think it’s easy. I think it’s very emotional. I’m just a football junkie. Like, I could watch film all day.”
When Martindale accepted the DC position at Michigan, he was making the jump back to college for the first time since 2003. The landscape of college football has drastically changed the past two decades, especially with the emergence of name, image, likeness and the transfer portal.
McPhee said Martindale has quickly adapted.
“Coach has always been cool,” he said. “He’s always been one of those cool coaches that you love to go out and play for. I always loved playing for him. I think it’s cool. He’s been doing a great job with the players, talking to them, talking to a lot of the guys like he did when we was in the league.
“Coach is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever seen, but like once he get on that other side, you just got to keep him cool and collected.”
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