The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547256
18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2026 BY JOHN BORTON G ordon Monson, columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune, made the call on Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill almost precisely one year ago. While he didn't completely nail it — yet — Mon- son delivered a strong playbook on the man whose unit gives the Wolverines a week-in, week-out chance at victory. "It's a matter of skill. It's a matter of time," the columnist penned regarding the then-BYU defensive coordinator. "You know it. He knows it. [BYU head coach] Kalani Sitake knows it. Everyone should know it. "That's all it is before Jay Hill, BYU's distinguished defensive coordinator, is taken away to that place where so many accomplished coordinators go — a head coach's office somewhere. And that somewhere won't be just anywhere. That's not the way Hill rolls. He's more deliberate. He's seeking more. He de- serves more. He'll get more." As it turns out, Hill's next move didn't involve the big chair in the biggest of- fice of the coaches' quarters. Instead, he's drawing a bigger spotlight than he could ever generate at BYU, or Utah under Kyle Whittingham, or Weber State — where Hill toiled nine years as head coach before BYU. Instead, the first-year Michigan de- fensive coordinator quickly assembled a crew that stands among the best defenses in the nation. Through six games, Michigan ranked fourth in the country in total defense, sur- rendering a mere 256.5 yards per game. The Wolverines also stood No. 21 in scor- ing defense (16.2) and No. 13 in run de- fense (89.7 yards per game). Of course, he'd much rather be put- ting up those numbers for an undefeated Michigan crew in this staff's first sea- son in Ann Arbor. That wasn't to be, the Wolverines allowing 20 points apiece in turnover-tainted, narrow, back-to-back losses against Iowa (20-19) and Minne- sota (20-14). Given Michigan's jaw-dropping strug- gles on the offensive side thus far, it could be worse. Whittingham understands per- fectly well the yeoman's task his defense faced early on. "Jay has had a terrific career," Whit- tingham observed recently. "He's got a bright future. We're playing really well on defense. We're third in the country in total defense. With the strain and the stress that's been put on them, that's pretty good. He's a proven commodity and do- ing a great job for us." Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt expanded on that notion, following the turnover- fueled loss at Minnesota, when a pair of interceptions set up the Gophers' final 10 points. While taking a hard, blunt look at Michigan's offensive struggles — which Whittingham did as well — Klatt hailed Hill's aggregation for holding up as well as it did for so long. "The defense is fine," Klatt insisted. "In fact, they were on the field basically the entire time from the 10:35 mark of the second quarter until about what? Five, four minutes left to go in the third quarter, they were on the field the entire time. At one point it was like 32 snaps to three. And guess what? Michigan still had the lead. It was 14-13. "Michigan's defense had scored a touchdown. They had created intercep- tions. They had done their job. They had created short fields that their offense was unable to capitalize on. They've got the right scheme. They've got the right play- ers to execute that scheme. And obviously Jay Hill knows what he's doing. He's been running that defense for a long time. So I do not see any problems on the Michigan defense." NO SATISFACTION ON THIS HILL Hill acknowledges Michigan's defense has been stout, for the most part. He's by no means satisfied, a coaching trade- mark and perhaps doubly true for some- one used to excellent defenses under his watch. It's easy to tell the motivation for Mon- son's words when crunching the BYU defensive numbers over the past three seasons. Those included no fewer than 8 touchdowns scored by Hill's defense, and the No. 13 total defense nationally in 2024. In the two seasons directly preced- ing Hill's move to Michigan, the Cougars ranked No. 18 in scoring defense in 2024 (19.6) and No. 21 in 2025 (19.1). Those teams picked off a combined 39 passes, including a nation-leading 22 in 2024. That's been the biggest missing ele- ment in Michigan's defense over the first half of the season, but Hill oozes confi- dence that the turnovers will come. "Right now, uncharacteristically, we haven't forced as many turnovers as I'm used to," he offered. "Over the last two years, BYU has had as many interceptions as anyone in the country. For whatever reason right now, they're not coming our way. But that might be a great thing. Usu- ally when they do, they come in droves. We're expecting they'll come. That's just how it goes sometimes. Sometimes you don't have very many, and then all of a sudden you'll have four or five games where you get three or four in each game. We're hoping those come at the right times." Overall, Hill isn't throwing shade at what the Wolverines' defenders accom- plished. "We've been very dominant at times, swarming at times," Hill said. "Coverage has been sticky, for the most part. For the most part, the defensive line has domi- nated like we thought they would. "We've been really, really good at times, and at times, the mistakes have been a little more costly than normal." The mistakes have been costly, in a sea- son thus far allowing almost no margin for defensive error. A dropped interception Hill has assembled one of the best defenses in college football, leading the Wolverines to a No. 4 ranking in the nation in total defense through six games, with U-M surrendering a mere 256.5 yards per outing. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL THE ARCHITECT Coordinator Jay Hill Gives Hope Via A Rugged Defense