The Baltimore Ravens hired Jesse Minter hoping the first-time head coach is a product that doesn't fall too far from the Harbaugh coaching tree.
His predecessor John Harbaugh's 18-season tenure saw great consistency and a Super Bowl win during the 2012 campaign, and the 42-year-old Minter experienced that impact first-hand when he began his NFL coaching career in Baltimore as an assistant before blossoming as a defensive coordinator under John's brother, Jim Harbaugh, the last two seasons in Los Angeles.
It's why Minter feels right at home with the Ravens.
"When this job opened, this became the one for me, and this was the one that I wanted," Minter said at Thursday's introductory news conference. "I did go through the initial process with a lot of different teams, but as I was able to reconnect with people in this organization, and knowing the history, knowing the tradition, knowing the spine of the organization, kind of what it's built on, there was no better place for me."
Becoming just the fourth head coach in the franchise's 30-year history, Minter might have a tough act to follow, but he believes there's an opportunity to maintain success in Baltimore with a talented roster led by quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Minter said he's had "multiple conversations" with the two-time MVP in an effort to establish a relationship he recognizes will "take time."
"I just look forward to connecting with him," Minter said of Jackson. "Helping him become the best version of himself, creating a team identity that allows him to thrive, which he's already proven to be an elite, elite -- the best player in the National Football League -- and put a team around him that allows him to reach that ultimate goal of bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore."
While Minter aims to connect with the Ravens' star player, his defensive expertise is the biggest reason why he's in Baltimore.
The Chargers allowed 20.0 points per game (ninth in the NFL) and 285.2 total yards per game (fifth) under Minter's direction in 2025, the follow-up to his first season as an NFL DC in which his unit finished at the top overall scoring defense. Prior to that, Minter was Jim Harbaugh's DC at the University of Michigan, a two-season tenure that culminated with a College Football Playoff National Championship.
Minter's work in L.A. made him highly sought after during the 2026 hiring cycle, as he interviewed in Atlanta, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, Pittsburgh and Tennessee, in addition to Baltimore.
He said he will continue calling defensive plays and feels up to that task as a rookie head coach.
"I think that's a strength of mine," Minter said of calling plays. "I think that's one of the reasons I'm sitting here, but I also think it's my leadership qualities. I have a really good process, I feel, to do what I need to do to be ready to call the game but also have the ability to be the head coach and to impact the entire roster."
The Ravens are coming off a tumultuous season during which injuries played a large role across the board and the defense didn't live up to their normally high standards. Much like its offense, Baltimore's defense remains full of talent, with linebacker Roquan Smith leading the charge and safety Kyle Hamilton being a unique playmaker that lurks everywhere on the field.
Minter, who oversaw a similar type of Pro Bowl safety in Derwin James with the Chargers, beamed with excitement when asked about coaching Hamilton.
"Kyle is a weapon; he's a position-less defensive player that I would classify as a weapon on defense," Minter said. "As much as you can do to get a guy like Kyle near the point of attack, I think is what you try to do as a designer, play-caller. Could not be more thrilled to be able to work with Kyle."
Work remains to be had on Minter's staff, namely the offensive and defensive coordinator roles that are currently vacant. While he wasn't ready to announce any new hires yet, Minter indicated those names will be announced sooner rather than later.
"Both of those searches are going really well and very far along, I would say," Minter said. "I'm looking for leaders and connectors and relationship-builders and schematic expertise, but most importantly guys that the players believe in, that they're willing to dive deep and build really strong relationships with the players."
Preparing the Ravens for a new beginning will be a collaborative effort by Minter and general manager Eric DeCosta, who sat at the new head coach's side during Thursday's news conference.
DeCosta expressed his excitement with Minter, who he said "blew us away" during the in-person interview process and quickly shed whatever preconceived notions he had from the lower-level assistant coach he first met in 2017.
It's why the Ravens feel they have another coach that will successfully take the reins for a long time to come, just like Harbaugh did.
"Steve (Bisciotti) challenged us a few weeks ago to find the next coach who would be here for 18 years, and if we do our job, I won't be here," DeCosta said.
"It became apparent quickly that Jesse Minter was the right guy to be our next football coach. Jesse's smart, he's a leader, he's got great humility, he's a problem solver, a great tactician -- we've enjoyed watching his defenses play -- and he started at the bottom and now he's here. I think that's great."
