The deal is not done, but the Free Press has learned Michigan football is "very, very" close to adding BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill.
ORLANDO, FL − The next defensive coordinator for Michigan football might already be in town.
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, 50, just helped lead the No. 13 Cougars to a Pop-Tarts Bowl victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday, Dec. 27, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando – the site of U-M's Citrus Bowl against Texas on Wednesday (3 p.m., ABC).
Hill has led BYU's defense under Kalani Sitake the past four years, in addition to duties as associate head coach and safeties coach. Prior to that, Hill led FCS-level Weber State for nine seasons (2014-22), going 68-39 (becoming the winningest coach in WSU history) with four Big Sky Conference titles and six FCS Tournament berths.
But his ties to Whittingham date back before that, with a dozen seasons (2001-13) at Utah, as he climbed the ranks from graduate assistant to special teams coordinator.
Whittingham, who arrived in Orlando on Saturday and addressed U-M fans for the first time in a video posted to the team's social media account, took over Utah at the end of the 2004 season following a decade as defensive coordinator.
Hill is a Beehive State lifer – born in Lehi, Utah, he went to school in Salt Lake City, where he also coached before he working for WSU in Ogden and BYU in Provo.
Sitake was asked following the Cougars' win about rumors of a mutual interest between Michigan and Hill; he responded that he would let Hill make his own announcement.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football 'very, very' close to landing BYU DC Jay Hill
Category: General Sports