BYU football was hours removed from a win over Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, but reports began swirling that the Cougars defensive coordinator Jay Hill was on his way to join Kyle Whittingham at Michigan.
Kalani Sitake did not squash those reports when he was asked about it, instead saying in the post-game press conference of the Pop-Tarts Bowl that he was going to leave it up to Hill to make his own announcement.
Then, a report came down from the Detroit Free Press, saying that, “According to a source with knowledge of the situation but not permitted to speak publicly given the news is not public, the Wolverines are “very, very” close to adding BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, likely for the same position.”
Hill has a long history with Whittingham. Hill was an assistant coach at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City under Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham from 2001 to 2013. Hill served as the head football coach at Weber State University from 2014 to 2022, compiling a record of 68–39 in nine seasons. He left Weber State as the program’s all-time winningest head coach.
He then joined BYU in 2023 and made an immediate impact, transforming the Cougars’ defense into one of the most consistent and physical units in the Big 12. The Cougars held opponents to just 19 points per game, ranking among the conference’s best in scoring defense.
BYU ranked 4th in the Big 12 this season in scoring defense, 3rd in total yards allowed per game, 3rd in rushing yards allowed per game and 7th in passing yards allowed per game.
