Michigan is handing a big piece of its secondary to Jernaro Gilford, and the hire comes with a clear reason attached: he’s spent years living inside Jay Hill’s defensive system and has built his reputation coaching defensive backs the hard way.
This season, head coach Kyle Whittingham split the secondary duties between Gilford, the cornerbacks coach, and safeties coach Tyler Stockton. That’s a change from last year, when former defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan was the one leading Michigan’s back end. Gilford’s background makes him a natural fit for the cornerback side of the job, especially with an experienced defense and a secondary loaded with multiple high-impact seniors.
Gilford arrives in Ann Arbor with a resume that stretches from player to coach. His playing career at BYU ended in 2004 after he appeared in 37 games with 28 starts and picked off 10 passes.
He earned All-Mountain West first-team honors in 2001. After stepping away from football for a stretch, he came back as a graduate assistant at Whittier College, where he worked with the cornerbacks and special teams in 2012 and 2013.
From there, he moved into his first full-time position coaching job at Southern Utah, handling the secondary in 2014 and 2015.
That work led him back to BYU in 2016, when he joined Kalani Sitake’s staff. Gilford stayed there for the next decade and also served as the defensive passing game coordinator this past season. The results were strong: BYU allowed 19.1 points per game, good for 19th in the nation, and forced 24 turnovers and 17 interceptions, which ranked seventh nationally.
The recent production is part of what makes Gilford such an appealing addition. He has a long track record of coaching defensive backs, with a particular emphasis on cornerbacks, and he also spent three seasons alongside Hill at BYU from 2023-25. That familiarity with Hill’s system matters, and Michigan is betting it will help Gilford step right into a key role.
His development track record is just as notable. At Southern Utah, Gilford coached LeShaun Sims and Miles Killebrew, both of whom earned All-Big Sky honors in 2015 before being selected in the 2016 NFL Draft.
During his 10 seasons at BYU, he helped seven players collect nine All-Conference honors, including four since 2023. Jakob Robinson and Kaleb Hayes were among the most recognizable names he helped develop.
The bigger story, though, is the production his units generated. BYU’s secondary had at least 15 interceptions in six seasons during Gilford’s tenure, and that happened every year from 2023-25.
Michigan is clearly hoping that background translates quickly. Jyaire Hill is one name to watch, after earning All-Big Ten honorable mention in his junior season. The double moves that gave him trouble early in his career have become less of an issue, and with Gilford’s experience coaching the position, Hill has a chance to take another step.
Zeke Berry is another player with a path to a big year. He earned second-team honors from the media last season, explored the transfer portal before returning to Ann Arbor, and could be in line for another breakout if he stays healthy in his fifth year.
Then there’s the nickel spot, which remains unsettled. Whittingham and Hill have talked during training camp about the revolving door at that position and how the lack of a designated nickel could look different from Michigan teams of the past. If that role settles into a steady rotation instead of changing constantly, Gilford and the rest of the secondary staff should have a much cleaner runway.
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