Michigan football has seen its fair share of changes over the course of the offseason. With Kyle Whittingham taking over the program in late December, the Wolverines are set for a different look in many respects, but still with a similar identity to what was built over the course of the previous regimes.
One of the big changes is the inclusion of defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who came aboard from the same post at BYU after being the head coach at Weber State for nearly a decade. He chose to come to Ann Arbor to follow Whittingham, knowing what he’s capable of.
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He shared more on the In the Trenches Podcast with Jon Jansen.
“Well, like I say, X’s and O’s wise, I think he’s as good as any coach there is,” Hill said. “And he’s one of those guys that never stops learning. He wants to know what the offense is doing. He’s extremely smart with special teams. He wants to know all the techniques from all the position groups. I’ve seen him grow up in that aspect. I would say just understanding of it’s never perfect. Although we’re striving for perfection, it never is. And so how do you overcome those things? I think he’s really grown there.”
Hill has more experience with Whittingham than most, having played under him and having also gotten his start in coaching under him.
A former cornerback at Utah, Hill cut his teeth working under Whittingham once he was promoted to head coach, succeeding Urban Meyer. From there, he worked his way through the coaching ranks — something he says he owes to Whittingham.
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“So I’m one of the few guys in the coaching profession that has the perspective of I actually got to play for Coach Whitt,” Hill said. “He was the defensive coordinator when I was playing. And then I got to be a graduate assistant under him. And then I got to see him as a head coach as he grew into the role. And I have more respect for Coach Whitt than any coach in the game, just because he’s phenomenal with X’s and O’s. He’s extremely disciplined and extremely intelligent. Like when you sit down with him, you’re like, man, this guy is brilliant. And that’s what I always saw in him and why I stayed with him for so long, and why I was willing to come back with him because I just see special in Coach Whitt. He’s a coach of all coaches.”
Thus, when Whittingham came calling, despite Hill being at a different school, three years on the job, it was a no-brainer for him to follow to Ann Arbor, given the opportunity that was laid before him.
“The decision to come to Michigan was not hard at all,” Hill said. “Coach Whitt called me and said, ‘Hey, I think I have this opportunity. What do you think?’ I said, ‘Coach, I’m in because it’s Michigan. And I believe that we can win national championships here. I believe we can win consistent Big Ten championships here.’ With the way Coach Whitt coaches his discipline and toughness, I just think it’s a perfect match for Michigan. I was in. Moving your family and doing some of those things, that’s the hard side of this job. But a lot of times you put yourself in a great situation, and you figure out the other stuff after.”
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football: Jay Hill on joining Kyle Whittingham in Ann Arbor
