The Michigan Wolverines are wasting no time reshaping their coaching staff - and the defensive side of the ball just got a major upgrade.
Jay Hill is officially on board as Michigan’s new defensive coordinator, joining head coach Kyle Whittingham’s rapidly forming staff in Ann Arbor. Hill, a Utah native with deep ties to Whittingham, brings a proven track record of building tough, opportunistic defenses - and his arrival signals a clear commitment to maintaining the defensive identity that’s defined Michigan football over the past decade.
Hill comes to Michigan after a strong run at BYU, where he served as defensive coordinator, associate head coach, and safeties coach since 2022. In his two seasons in Provo, Hill helped engineer a dramatic turnaround on defense.
BYU allowed just 19.0 points per game in 2024 and 19.6 in 2025 - good for 21st and 18th nationally. That’s a far cry from the 29.5 points per game the Cougars gave up the year before Hill arrived, which ranked 97th in the FBS.
But it wasn’t just about limiting points. Hill’s defenses were aggressive and opportunistic.
In 2024, BYU led the entire country in interceptions with 22 - a stat that speaks volumes about the way Hill’s units attack the ball and capitalize on mistakes. In 2025, the Cougars racked up 30 sacks, their highest total in nearly a decade.
That kind of production up front and in the secondary is exactly what Michigan fans have come to expect from a defense that’s been a national powerhouse in recent years.
Hill’s resume also includes a successful nine-year run as head coach at Weber State, where he compiled a 68-39 record and won the Big Sky Conference four times. Before that, he cut his teeth under Whittingham at Utah from 2001 to 2013, serving in various assistant roles. That familiarity with Whittingham’s philosophy and expectations should make for a seamless transition as they look to build something special in Ann Arbor.
And Hill’s defensive chops were on full display one last time at BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. After surrendering 21 first-half points to Georgia Tech, the Cougars came out of the locker room and slammed the door shut - pitching a second-half shutout to secure a 25-21 win. It was a fitting sendoff for a coach whose defenses were known for adjusting on the fly and finishing strong.
Hill replaces Wink Martindale, who held the defensive coordinator role at Michigan the past two seasons under Sherrone Moore. Martindale brought an NFL-style, Ravens-inspired system that had been a staple in Ann Arbor since Mike Macdonald’s arrival in 2021. With Martindale now expected to return to the pro ranks, Hill’s hiring marks the end of that era - and the beginning of a new one built on the same principles of physical, disciplined, playmaking defense.
With Hill now in place, Michigan’s defensive identity isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it might just be getting stronger.