Jay Hill is the new football coach!

[hawkssb04]

Reports coming from the Salt Lake Tribune on Twitter. Can't say I know squat about this guy. Word on the street is that he's a fantastic in-state recruiter for the Utes.

 

[webercat]

Well that name came out of the blue. I like that he is young. Hopefully he is ready for the HC gig. He has experience under Mac, Urban, and Whittingham. I kinda like it right now.

 

[weberwildcat]

He is a former XFL player. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rockon:

He gotz to get me HeHateMe autograph!!!!

 

[wsucatfan]

Utah assistant Jay Hill takes Weber State head job

By Lya Wodraska, The Salt Lake Tribune

Weber State didn’t go far to find its next football coach as sources have confirmed with The Salt Lake Tribune that Utah assistant Jay Hill will be announced as the Wildcats’ coach on Thursday.

Hill has been a member of Utah’s staff since 2005, when he was named the cornerbacks coach and co-special teams coordinator by Kyle Whittingham.

Previously, the 43-year-old Hill was a graduate assistant with the Utah program from 2001-2004, making him the longest tenured member of Utah’s staff other than Whittingham.

Hill has continued to coach the special teams throughout his career in addition to the tight ends and running backs.

Hill replaces Jody Sears, who was fired after the Wildcats finished the season 2-10, including a 1-7 mark in the Big Sky Conference.

In addition to his coaching abilities, Hill has established a reputation as a solid recruiter — a characteristic that could go a long way in helping him rebuild Weber State’s program.

He was named to Rivals.com’s Class of 2009 Top Recruiters and as one of the Top 10 Recruiters in the Pac-12 in 2012.

Hill grew up in Lehi and played corner for Utah after transferring from Ricks College, where he was a 1997 junior college All-American and the team’s MVP.

He led the Utes in interceptions his senior year and was named the team’s Defensive MVP.

Weber State has struggled in recent years, but athletic director Jerry Bovee has expressed confidence the program will improve with the Wildcats opening a new indoor practice facility in October and making recent renovations to Stewart Stadium. Other coaches who were linked to the job opening were former BYU quarterback and offensive coordinator Brandon Doman and Nick Howell, BYU’s current defensive coordinator.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/57252763-77/hill-utah-assistant-coach.html.csp

 

[wsucatfan]

Weber State football: Utah assistant Jay Hill to be named Weber State's head coach Thursday

By Dirk Facer, Deseret News

OGDEN — Utah special teams coordinator Jay Hill will be introduced as the new head football coach at Weber State Thursday morning. Hill replaces Jody Sears, who was fired Nov. 26 after two seasons at the helm. The Wildcats were 4-19 under Sears, including a 3-13 mark in Big Sky Conference play.

Hill, 38, has spent the past nine seasons on Kyle Whittingham’s staff at Utah. He’s been the Utes’ special teams coordinator since 2007 and was the co-special teams coordinator from 2005-06. In addition, Hill has coached various position groups, including cornerbacks (2005-06, 2010-11), tight ends (2007-09, 2013) and running backs (2012). All-Americans Eric Weddle (2006), Louie Sakoda (2007-08), Shaky Smithson (2010) and Reggie Dunn (2012) are among the position players he has coached.

When Weber State athletic director Jerry Bovee dismissed Sears, he explained what attributes he sought in the next coach.

"We're looking for someone who wants to be here with the resources and the facilities and all that we offer here," Bovee said, "someone that understands a little about Weber State, the program's history and the community and how to recruit here, someone who wants in-state kids in our program, and someone who can show us their vision of how the program should be. ... We're proud of what we have here.”

Before becoming a full-time member of the Utah coaching staff, Hill served the program as a graduate and administrative assistant from 2001-04. He was a starting cornerback for the Utes from 1998-99 and led the Mountain West Conference in interceptions as a senior — earning team defensive MVP honors and second-team all-conference recognition in the process.

Hill received academic accolades from the MWC twice and received a National Football Foundation Unsung Hero Award in 1999. He played for the XFL’s Orlando Rage and signed a free agent contract with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills a year later.

Before signing with Utah, Hill was an All-American at Ricks College. The Lehi native and his wife Sara are the parents of four children.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...e-named-Weber-States-head-coach-Thursday.html

 

[wsucatfan]

Weber State names Jay Hill football coach

By Contributed, Standard-Examiner

OGDEN - Weber State University has named Jay Hill its new head football coach. WSU director of athletics Jerry Bovee announced the hiring Thursday. Hill will be formally introduced at a press conference at 11 a.m. on the third floor of the Stewart Stadium SkySuites.

Hill, a longtime assistant coach at the University of Utah, becomes the 11th head coach in Weber State football history. He comes to WSU with a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the West and has spent time working for three different head coaches at Utah.

"My family and I are so excited to join the Weber State program," Hill said. "There are so many great things in place at Weber State and the tradition, facilities and overall program are primed for success. This is a place we can win and be successful and I can't wait to get started."

Hill, 38, has spent the last 12 years at Utah, including the last eight seasons as a full-time assistant coach under Kyle Whittingham. Prior to that, he spent four years as a graduate assistant and administrative assistant with the Utes under legendary coaches Ron McBride and Urban Meyer.

"We're thrilled to have Jay join the Weber State family," Bovee said. "We had a number of high quality candidates and interest in our head coaching job and Jay emerged as the top choice. He has a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the area and has worked under some of the best coaches in the state."

Hill, a native of Lehi, Utah, played college football at Ricks Junior College, where he earned junior college All-American honors at cornerback. He went on to play two seasons (1998-99) at Utah under Ron McBride. As a senior he led the Mountain West in interceptions, was named Utah's Defensive MVP and earned second team All-Conference honors. He later played briefly in the XFL and signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills.

After his playing career he spent three seasons as a graduate assistant coach and one year as an administrative assistant, working for McBride and Meyer.

In 2005 he became a full-time assistant coach under Whittingham. All nine seasons he spent at Utah he worked as the special teams coordinator. He also coached on offense and defense, coaching the cornerbacks (2005-06; 2010-11), running backs (2012) and tight ends (2007-09; 2013).

Utah's special teams excelled under Hill. In 2006 the Utes led the nation in net punting. They led the Mountain West in kickoff coverage four straight seasons and led the Pac-12 in the category in 2011, Utah's first year in the conference. In 2012 Utah was sixth in the nation in kick return average and this past season the Utes again led the Pac-12 in net punting and finished 10th in the nation. In 2008 Hill was a finalist for the FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year.

In his career at Utah, Hill served as the position coach for five All-Americans: defensive back Eric Weddle in 2006, punter Louie Sakoda in 2007, Sakoda as a place kicker in 2008, punt returner Shaky Smithson in 2010 and kick returner Reggie Dunn in 2012. Weddle was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and is a Pro Bowl safety. Sakoda, the only unanimous consensus All-American in Utah football history, was a Lou Groza and Ray Guy finalist in 2008. Smithson led the nation in punt returns yards and average in 2010. Hill also mentored NFL draft picks Sean Smith, Brice McCain, R.J. Stanford and Brandon Burton.

During his tenure with the Utes, Hill became acclaimed as a top recruiter. Rivals.com named him to its "Class of 2009 Top 25 Recruiters" and named him one of the Top 10 Recruiters in the Pac-12 in 2012.

Hill earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish in 2000 from Utah and earned his master's degree in ESS/Sports Psychology in 2005.

He and his wife Sara have four children: Ashtyn, Alayna, Allie and Jacob.

http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/12/12/weber-state-names-jay-ill-football-coach

 

[oldrunner]

This may well turn out to be a great hire. We just won't know for a year or more. First things first, He needs to get a staff in place, or at least the majority of one. Next is recruiting, and there is a need to act quickly. Defensively, I think that you can expect a system quite similar to the U's. An offense, who knows until we see it in action or at least know who his OC will be.

It sounds like he will have the drive and intellect to get the job done. On the surface, it looks like a big gamble, but it is the kind of a gamble that we are in a position to make. If it all turns out, JB will look like a genius. If not, he could lose his job. It's the same kind of gamble we took with Randy Rahe.

I'm hoping that we get back on track and that this all works out. I'm ready for a little stability.

 

[webercat]

The Trib says he is 43... The Standard says he is 38... The Standard wins this fight as the U bio has him born in 1975.

 

[Waldo2]

I quit reading the Trib - they get too many facts wrong or the print crap with no factual basis just to stir up controversy.
For all of my WSU news, I go to the Standard first and then to Desnews. For TV - it is KSL only The others suck and don't cover WSU.

I personally think this is exactly the type of coach Weber needed to get. Hill appears to be very competent. He is young and yet accomplished with things he has done at the U. He knows Utah recruiting very well. He knows the X's and O's - I really like this hire.

Who knows, but in about 3 or 4 years, we will probably be searching for a new coach because Hill will have a job offer at a bigger school. Good problem to have (just ask USU or Boise).

Welcome coach Hill! :clap:

 

[hawkssb04]

The Trib says he is 43... The Standard says he is 38... The Standard wins this fight as the U bio has him born in 1975.

Haha! Here's a full video of his press conference today. Less than a minute and a half into his speech, he calls out the Trib for incorrectly identifying him as a 43-year-old. :lol:
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/12/12/weber-state-names-jay-ill-football-coach#.Uqopum41Fxg.facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[SWWeatherCat]

We don't really know too much about coach Hill or how he'll pan out but I do like what I'm hearing from him. He's excited; he's confident; he's making me believe he's competent and cares about this program. Above all, he sounds like a football coach-- Sear's, as nice a he is, didn't. I'm pleasantly optimistic about Hill's chances to get Weber football back on track. :nod: He's hasn't done anything yet and has got quite a task in front of him but I still like the fact that he's already called the fans out as needing to step up their support and enthusiasm. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Here's to hoping he can get the job done! :woo:

 

[AlumniWSU]

Not difficult to see why Coach Jay Hill rose to the top of the "assumed interested" candidates pool; impressive resume and young, energetic, smart coach! His mentors are probably smiling for him, including McBride. Hope that Coach Hill gets some quality staff; because if he catches fire (and it may take a few more years than 3-4), if the program is positively moving forward, he's bound to move on to FBS and possibly make a promotion opportunity for a good assistant coach on staff. Stability is needed & so is fan support!! To the committee & AD Bovee (first impressions) = :clap: