“It is an absolute honor for me and my family to join the Michigan Wolverines,” said Hill in the press release. “We are so excited to join Coach Whittingham, his staff and look forward to building relationships with these great players. The Michigan program is deep with history and tradition that I look forward to honoring. The opportunity to develop great young men on and off the field and ultimately win championships at Michigan is something we are dedicated to do. I can’t wait to get started. Go Blue!”

The move reunites Hill with his former coach and mentor Kyle Whittingham. Hill played for Rick’s College before opting to transfer to Utah where he was coached directly by Whittingham who served as the program’s defensive backs coach during the years Hill was a player for the Utes. Hill went on to become a graduate assistant at Utah in 2001 and then advanced to bigger coaching responsibilities before being named Weber State’s head coach in 2014. The Lehi native then joined BYU’s program in 2023 as defensive coordinator before taking on his new post at Michigan.

“Jay Hill is a great leader and one of the sharpest defensive minds in the game,” said Whittingham. “His competitive nature and commitment to excellence will help us forge a disciplined, tough defense that prides itself on physicality. Jay has the ability to consistently put players in the best position to succeed and make plays. We’re excited to welcome Jay and his family to Ann Arbor, and we are confident they’ll be a tremendous addition to our Michigan Football family.”

As for BYU, Head Coach Kalani Sitake acknowledged Hill’s departure on social media and expressed gratitude for what his former defensive coordinator provided the Cougar progam.

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to Jay Hill for all he’s done for BYU football over the last three years,” Sitake wrote. “He’s a great coach and I wish him the best in his new endeavor.”

Sitake expressed optimism for the future despite Hill’s departure as the search for a new defensive coordinator is now underway. Considering everything Hill did while at BYU, those shoes will certainly prove tough to fill.

“Our football program is in a great place as we look to build on the success of the past two seasons with all the talent we have returning in 2026,” Sitake continued. “I’m excited about the collaborative efforts of our defensive coaches over the past few years and the momentum we have been building as a staff. We have a lot of quality coaches in our program and I’m proud of their efforts. We’ll make the necessary staff adjustments soon, as we continue to find ways to help our players improve and elevate the success of BYU football.”

Of those on staff the prime candidates are Special Teams Coordinator and Defensive End Coach Kelly Poppinga along with Cornerback Coach and Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Jenaro Gilford.

Poppinga played for BYU from 2006-2007 and has been coaching since 2010 having held various coaching posts at schools like Virginia and Boise State. Poppinga joined BYU’s staff prior to the 2022 season.

Gilford is also a former BYU player having played cornerback in Provo from 1999-2003. The Los Angeles native coached at Southern Utah for two seasons before assuming a position at cornerbacks coach at BYU in 2014. Gilford is Sitake’s longest-tenured assistant coach.