BYU DC Jay Hill is Reportedly Nearing Deal to Become Michigan DC

It appears BYU will be in the market for a new defensive coordinator

BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill at Fall Camp | BYU Photo

The coaching dominoes are falling in the college football coaching world and the ripple effects are being felt at BYU. Michigan is "working to hire" BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, according to a report from Pete Nakos.

Michigan is working to hire BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, sources tell @On3sports.

No deal has been agreed to, but new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham is targeting Hill, his former Utah assistant. https://t.co/AZxfi5ZYcn pic.twitter.com/xqeYCsi6tH

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) December 28, 2025

Michigan officially introduced former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham as its new head coach on Sunday. Whittingham could bring coaches from both BYU and Utah with him to Ann Arbor. Reports have indicated that Whittingham will bring Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck to Michigan and he is targeting Jay Hill as well.

Jay Hill has been BYU' defensive coordinator since the 2023 season. Hill took over one of the worst defenses in the FBS when he was hired, and he built BYU into a top 25 defense in 2025. One of the most notable improvements at BYU has been on the recruiting trail.

If Hill leaves to Michigan, the next dominoes at BYU could be in the form of roster retention. In this era of college football, there is a portion of players that sign with specific coordinators knowing that if they leave, they could follow them. BYU would not be immune to that. The most notable name to watch would be Faletau Satuala. Hill was Satuala's primary recruiter when he signed with the Cougars.

While BYU will be searching for a new defensive coordinator, they would also be pushing to keep as many players in Provo as possible. Fortunately for BYU fans, Kalani Sitake is a major reason why a lot of the players are at BYU as well. Retaining Sitake would give BYU a chance to retain a lot of its top players.

Hill's backfill could be in the building already. The Cougars have former coordinators on the staff in Justin Ena, Chad Kauha'aha'a, and Gary Andersen. Then there is Jernardo Gilford who has been promoted to BYU's defensive passing game coordinator. However, the name of a USC assistant coach was floated on Sunday morning by Bruce Feldman.

USC defensive line coach Shaun Nua is a "name to watch" according to Feldman. Nua is a BYU alum and he has been the defensive line coach at USC and Michigan since 2019.

Name to watch for BYU’s likely DC vacancy with Jay Hill expected to become Kyle Whittingham’s defensive coordinator at Michigan is USC DL coach Shaun Nua who played and began his coaching career at BYU.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 28, 2025

The last time BYU lost a coordinator to another school was Jeff Grimes. BYU quickly promoted Aaron Roderick to fill his vacated position. The Cougars could be in position to do something similar on the defensive side if Hill opts to go to Michigan.