Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Jay Hill joins Michigan as defensive coordinator, reuniting with Kyle Whittingham.
- Hill transformed BYU's defense, leading them to back-to-back double-digit win seasons.
- Michigan risks replacing Wink Martindale with Hill, who has a strong coaching record.
PROVO — BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill is reuniting with an old friend.
The Cougars will be looking for a new defensive coordinator and associate head coach for a second time in four years after Hill agreed to the same position at Michigan, as first reported by ESPN.
He'll join former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck, the BYU quarterback graduate who is following head coach Kyle Whittingham after one season in Salt Lake City.
In addition, the new Michigan coach who was an All-WAC linebacker at BYU is loading up his offensive staff from his previous program of the past four decades, including wide receivers coach Micah Simon, quarterback assistant Koy Detmer Jr., and longtime tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham.
All four are BYU graduates, who will be reunited with the former Utah cornerback he coached from 1998-99 and worked with as an assistant coach and eventually special teams coordinator before Hill was named the head coach at Weber State in 2014 and Whittingham stepped down last month after 21 seasons as head coach.
"It's going to be big plus for us having (Beck) in Ann Arbor," Whittingham told ESPN's College GameDay on Thursday, "as well as a bunch of guys who were on the staff at Utah are going to come with him."
Michigan's new head coach Kyle Whittingham joined College GameDay to talk about his new job in Ann Arbor 👏 pic.twitter.com/ClI3P2qJf5
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 1, 2026
In just three seasons at BYU, Hill has turned around a defense that initially struggled to keep up with the Big 12 and eventually performed among the best in the conference — and even, at times, the nation.
The No. 12 Cougars ranked 21st in scoring defense in 2025, and No. 28 overall in total defense, en route to back-to-back double-digit win campaigns and a spot in this past year's Big 12 championship game.
He also earned the immense respect of his players, said Tanner Wall, a senior captain for the Cougars who was a walk-on wide receiver before Hill pulled him to the defense, started him at free safety, and helped elevate the 6-foot-1, 205-pound athlete to first-team All-Big 12 honors.
"Playing for Jay has been an amazing privilege," Wall said after Saturday's 25-21 win over No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl that capped the first 12-win season at BYU since 2001. "Being with him and kind of just being mentored by him and understanding the way he sees the game has helped me immensely in my development.
"I'm so grateful to have a coach who believed in me, who gave me that opportunity," he added. "Obviously, I had to do a lot of work to earn that, but at the same time, he believed and trusted in me. The preparation that he puts in and how much he cares, it shows in everything that he does. I'm grateful to have played for a coach who wants to win, and wants to do it the right way, as bad as we do as players."
I asked BYU senior Tanner Wall about his relationship with DC Jay Hill after his final game with the Cougars.
— Sean Walker (@ActuallyDSW) December 28, 2025
His whole answer is worth your time (and selfishly, I'ma miss @YsTanman11) pic.twitter.com/QvY0GfXce4
Michigan is taking a risk, not only bringing in Whittingham from his home state but also likely jettisoning Wink Martindale, who spent the past two seasons running the Wolverines' defense after working for the NFL's Raiders, Broncos, Ravens and Giants from 2004-23.
The 62-year-old former Defiance College linebacker, who has coached since 1986, led the No. 38 scoring defense in the country (21.42 points allowed per game) and No. 21 total defense (312.2 yards allowed per game) this past season.
But the risk also involves a 50-year-old Lehi native who could've been as close to a Utah lifer as Whittingham, save for the decade he spent at Weber State when he went 68-39 with six FCS playoff berths in nine years after coaching under his coach for 10 years.
After wrapping up his career at Ricks College and Utah, Hill jumped into coaching as a graduate assistant on Urban Meyer's staff in 2001 and was elevated to cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator four years later. He also coached tight ends and running backs, while running the team's special teams from 2007 until his departure in 2013.
And those who know Hill best are confident his best days are ahead of him.
"He's an amazing coach," Wall said. "He's going to continue to have an amazing career, wherever he ends up. ... I know where ever he will be, he will have success because of who he is, and how he handles himself."
