Jay Hill took a chance on a speedster named Rashid Shaheed when he was the head coach at Weber State.
That move worked out wonderfully, as Shaheed earned All-America honors in four separate years at the FCS school and left Ogden as the Wildcats’ all-time leader in career kickoff return average at 29.1 yards per return.
Now, Shaheed — bound for Super Bowl LX with the Seattle Seahawks — believes Hill will thrive in his new job as defensive coordinator at blue blood program Michigan.
For Shaheed, that prediction comes down to Hill’s interpersonal skills.
Shaheed is one of Hill’s best success stories in his 25 years as a college coach, which has included 13 years as an assistant at the University of Utah, nine years as Weber State’s head coach and the past three seasons as BYU’s defensive coordinator.
After former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham accepted the same role at Michigan in late December, Hill joined his long-time friend in Ann Arbor soon thereafter.
“He’s gonna make an impact, just like how he did when he moved up to BYU and at Weber State,” Shaheed told the Deseret News Thursday about his former coach.
“Obviously, he’s the kind of coach that players wish for. He’s a true player’s coach. He pushes you to your fullest potential and is just a great overall person, comes from a great family. I love him personally. He’s my all-time favorite coach.”
“Obviously, he’s the kind of coach that players wish for. He’s a true player’s coach. He pushes you to your fullest potential and is just a great overall person, comes from a great family. I love him personally. He’s my all-time favorite coach.”
— Rashid Shaheed, on Jay Hill
During his time at BYU, Hill transformed the Cougars defense. BYU led the Big 12 in scoring defense over the past two seasons (19.4 points per game) during a stretch when it went 23-4.
In addition, the Cougars were No. 1 in the country in 2024 in interceptions with 22. During the 2025 campaign, BYU had its highest sack total, 30, since 2016.
When Shaheed was being recruited out of high school in the San Diego area, where he was also a track star, Weber State showed the most interest in landing him.
“Out of high school, I wasn’t very heavily recruited. Weber State was really the only school to take an opportunity on me, so it was either that or junior college,” Shaheed said.
“I took a visit out to Weber up in Ogden, Utah, and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the coaches, and they really showed that they wanted me to be a part of the program, and this (was an) opportunity I couldn’t turn down. But they took advantage of my own tools, and you know, now we’re here.”
During Hill’s time at Weber State, he compiled a 68-39 record as head coach, with Shaheed around for five of the seasons. The Wildcats also won four Big Sky Conference titles under Hill.
Shaheed isn’t sure if Hill will be in attendance at Super Bowl LX on Sunday (4:30 p.m. MST, NBC), when the Seahawks take on the New England Patriots for the title.
This is the closest Shaheed has ever come to winning a Super Bowl. After spending his first three and a half years in New Orleans, he was traded midseason to the Seahawks in November.
“I’m not sure, he might pop up and surprise me, but as of right now, I’m sure he’s busy getting things popping off at Michigan,” Shaheed said.
