As soon as word got to Kyle Whittingham about Jay Hill’s heart attack, the Utah Utes head football coach had the same reaction as many in the Beehive State football community.
“Well, it was shocking,” Whittingham said during Monday’s media availability.
The 49 year-old Hill, currently the defensive coordinator at BYU, had stents placed in his arteries during separate surgeries on Thursday evening and Saturday morning, Hill’s father, Ferrell, told the Deseret News’ Jay Drew.
Hill, who played cornerback at Utah, got his coaching start under Ron McBride as a graduate assistant before working his way up to cornerbacks coach under Whittingham in 2005.
From there, Hill had a variety of titles at Utah, including tight ends coach, running backs coach and special teams coordinator before taking the Weber State job.
“Jay is a guy that’s always been in great shape and keeps himself fit ... He’s only 49 years old, which is a sobering thought that it could happen to anybody I guess,” Whittingham said.
Prior to taking over as the Cougars’ defensive coordinator in 2023, Hill was the head coach at Weber State from 2014-2022, leading the Wildcats to four Big Sky championships.
“Jay’s a close friend of mine. We were together for many years here on the staff and we wish him the best. And I don’t want to get too personal or speak more than my share about it, but he’s a guy that I know will bounce back,” Whittingham said.
Despite having the Saturday morning procedure, Hill still was in the press box that night for the Cougars’ 41-13 win over Southern Illinois, though BYU head coach Kalani Sitake handled defensive play calls.
“Someone said he was at the game, and so that tells you how competitive he is right there and how he doesn’t want to be away from it,” Whittingham said.
At Monday’s media availability, Sitake said Hill has returned to his regular duties and will call BYU’s defense during Friday’s game against SMU.