Michigan's Kyle Whittingham reportedly turns to former Utah assistants to be Wolverines' new coordinators
- - Michigan's Kyle Whittingham reportedly turns to former Utah assistants to be Wolverines' new coordinators
Nick Bromberg January 1, 2026 at 11:35 PM
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New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham is hiring familiar faces as his top two assistants.
According to ESPN, BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill is set to take the same position with the Wolverines and Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck will be the team’s offensive coordinator. Both Hill and Beck had been prominently mentioned as Whittingham's top choices ever since the former Utah coach was named the replacement for the fired Sherrone Moore.
Like Beck, Hill has ties to Utah, where Whittingham was the second-longest tenured coach in college football before stepping down at the end of the season. Hill, who just finished his third season as BYU’s defensive coordinator, was an assistant for the Utes from 2001 through 2013. He coached positions on both offense and defense for the Utes before he became the head coach at Weber State from 2014 through 2022.
BYU’s defense has been one of the most reliable units in the country over the past two seasons. After a rough first year in the Big 12, the Cougars have allowed fewer than 20 points per game in each of the last two seasons. Texas Tech was the only team to score more than 27 points against BYU all season in 2025.
Beck was at Utah for just one season after arriving from New Mexico after the 2024 season. Whittingham turned to Beck — and, subsequently, former UNM QB Devon Dampier — after a rough offensive season in 2024 that featured four quarterbacks seeing significant playing time.
The Utes averaged 6.6 yards per play and scored over 41 points per game in 2025. Only four teams averaged more points per game. Dampier, who threw for over 2,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 in 2024 at New Mexico, had nearly 2,500 passing yards in 2025 while rushing for 835 yards. True freshman QB Byrd Ficklin also appeared in 12 games and rushed 61 times for 513 yards and 10 TDs.
Utah had three players — Ficklin, Dampier and RB NaQuari Rogers — with at least 10 rushing touchdowns this past season.
Beck’s offense should fit Michigan QB Bryce Underwood well. Underwood, a former five-star recruit and Michigan native, was the Wolverines’ starter in his true freshman season. He showed promise as a dual-threat QB but games against top-tier opponents in 2025 showed that he has a ways to go to develop as a passer.
Source: “AOL Sports”
