BYU to Retain Cornerbacks Coach Jernaro Gilford
During his introductory press conference, new BYU associate head coach and defensive coordinator Jay Hill announced that BYU will retain cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford. Gilford has been BYU's cornerback coach since 2016 when he was brought on with Kalani Sitake.
During his BYU tenure, Gilford has turned the cornerbacks into a position of strength for the BYU defense. He has exceled on the recruiting trail while recruiting a position group that historically has been difficult to recruit to BYU.
When asked about the other members of the defensive staff, Kevin Clune and Preston Hadley, Hill said that those decisions have not been made yet. "That's a current consideration still," Hill said. "Everyone is in consideration right now."
When asked what his defense will look like at BYU, Hill noted that it will look similar to the Utah defense that he coached with Kalani Sitake. Hill said BYU will drop into coverage, blitz, and do things to confuse opposing quarterbacks.
In BYU's official press release, Hill noted that he level of excitement as BYU prepares for the Big 12. “I’m very excited to be joining Kalani and the rest of the BYU staff,” Hill said. “They have an outstanding program that wins on and off the field. BYU’s brand is nationally recognized and respected, and I can’t wait to get to coaching, recruiting and winning in the Big 12.”
On Wednesday, BYU also officially announced the addition of Kelly Poppinga as the special teams coordinator and a defensive assistant. Poppinga has not been assigned a position group yet. That will likely come once BYU fills out the rest of its staff.
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