[1][2] He next attended the University of Georgia where he studied finance at the Terry College of Business and graduated summa cum laude in 2010.
[3] In May 2010, he joined Mark Richt's coaching staff as a graduate assistant with the Georgia Bulldogs football program.
[10] In Macdonald's only season at the University of Michigan, the Wolverines posted a top 10 national defense, won the Big Ten Conference Championship, and played in the College Football Playoff.
On January 27, 2022, Macdonald was re-hired by the Baltimore Ravens as their defensive coordinator under head coach John Harbaugh, replacing Don Martindale.
[16] He beat out Ejiro Evero, Patrick Graham, Ben Johnson, Mike Kafka, Raheem Morris, Dan Quinn, Bobby Slowik, and Frank Smith for the job.
[20] The team improved to 5–5 in Week 11 when Macdonald's Seahawks defeated the reigning NFC champions and division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, 20–17.