In the Trenches: Linguist on 'Play Style,' Expectations for DBs, Defense
2/25/2021 7:58:00 AM | Football, Features
In this week's edition of the In the Trenches podcast, Jon Jansen sits down with new co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist to discuss his transition from the state of Texas to Ann Arbor, his journey from player to coach, and his expectations for the defensive backs and the defense as a whole in 2021 and beyond.
Maurice "Mo" Linguist comes to Ann Arbor with an impressive resume that features stops with many high-level programs. A safety at Baylor in the mid-2000s, Linguist began his coaching career with his alma mater in 2007 and has since worked collegiately at Valdosta State (2008), James Madison (2009-11), Buffalo (2012-13), Iowa State (2014-15), Mississippi State (2016), Minnesota (2017), and Texas A&M (2018-19). Last season, he transitioned to the NFL as the defensive backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Each stop has helped Linguist become the coach that the Wolverines have added to their defensive staff.
"I just try to be an avid learner," Linguist said on this week's edition of the In the Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen. "I've always just tried to take one or two things from every single person I've ever met and maybe not necessarily emulate, but just incorporate because I am who I am, but I'm also a collection of all the experiences that I've had and the people that have been a part of my life."
As Linguist meets more people and experiences more in the game of football, he still comes back to one key principle that he will instill in the Wolverines.
"The common denominator is how you play the game," Linguist said. "When I watch us play, what do I want to see? And the word that comes to mind is 'play-style.' Not what you're doing, but how you are doing it."
With spring practice just getting underway, Linguist will get to know Michigan's players over the coming weeks and months. Once the season arrives in September, he hopes the Wolverines' style is impossible to ignore.
"We want to play with a shocking level of effort," Linguist said. "When we hit the field, I can't tell you what the final score is going to be, but I can tell you that we will fight and scratch and claw to win the down, every single down, until the referee says we can't play football anymore."
