Weber State football coach Jay Hill will be named BYU’s new defensive coordinator, according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. BYU made an official announcement Wednesday morning, noting that Hill also will be associate head coach.
Thamel reported via Twitter late Tuesday night that a deal has been finalized to make Hill, 47, the successor to Ilaisa Tuiaki, who resigned on Nov. 27.
Hill is expected to be introduced to the BYU football team Wednesday morning in Provo. He is expected to be paid close to $1 million to replace Tuiaki, who was demoted midseason to defensive line coach.
Hill, a former University of Utah player and assistant coach, signed a two-year contract extension in February 2021 with Weber State that was to take him through the 2025 season.
According to the Ogden Standard-Examiner, Hill is making roughly $291,500 annually and the buyout if he were to leave WSU is $100,000.
Hill recently completed his ninth season as Weber State’s head coach and has compiled a 66-39 record at the Ogden school.
A Deseret News source said BYU coach Kalani Sitake and Hill have been in discussions for several weeks, but the Wildcats’ coach did not want to make a move until Weber State’s season concluded. Weber State went 10-3 in 2022 and defeated North Dakota 38-31 in the first round of the FCS playoffs before falling 33-25 to Montana State in the second round last Saturday.
Weber State’s all-time leader in coaching victories, Hill has led the Wildcats to four Big Sky Conference championships and six appearances in the FCS Playoffs.
His .636 winning percentage is the second-highest in school history. He was the Big Sky Coach of the Year and AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year for the spring 2021 season.
Sitake has been looking to replace at least two members of his defensive staff; Tuiaki resigned less than 24 hours after the Cougars downed Stanford 35-26 in their regular-season finale, while special teams coordinator, safeties coach and assistant head coach Ed Lamb was announced Tuesday as the new head coach at Northern Colorado.