Jay Hill isn’t waiting for fall camp to set the new standard in Ann Arbor. After a successful stint with BYU, Michigan’s new defensive coordinator is already putting the Big Ten on notice. That starts with making it clear that a post-Harbaugh rebuild isn’t in his vocabulary.

“Do we expect to be good in year one? Absolutely. Do we expect to compete for championships and all that? That’s why we came here,” said Hill. “So I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to say they’re in a rebuild puts up with that in today’s world, but there are definitely things that we’re building.”

“We believe in toughness, we believe in discipline, and we believe in having guys go to class and handle their business off the field. It’s always a work in progress, but we believe in what we do, and that’s kind of what we’re looking to build,” added the Michigan DC.

Hill’s track record suggests he’s more than capable of the task. He recently engineered a massive turnaround for BYU’s defense, which led the nation with 22 interceptions in 2024. That performance was built on the same foundation he laid at Weber State, where he became the winningest coach in program history.

Even from 2001 through 2013, he coached CBs, TEs, and RBs while also serving as a special teams coordinator at Utah. At that time, Hill worked under Kyle Whittingham, who again hired him in Ann Arbor. With this kind of experience under his belt, his guidance can help the Wolverines match their success under Jim Harbaugh, when the Wolverines last won a national championship.

That possibility only amplifies considerations of Michigan’s elite defensive group this season, which includes Trey Pierce, John Henry Daley, Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry and Troy Bowles. The DC is unequivocal about his vision.

“I don’t want to be so simple that the quarterbacks, you know, they’re getting ready to take the snap and they know exactly what we’re in,” said Hill.

More importantly, his belief in building relationships with players makes his foundation strong and could be a difference-maker. “Coaching is about relationships and getting players to trust you. Then I’ve got to be able to trust them. Trust goes both ways,” according to the Michigan DC.

Michigan DC outlines his goals for the 2026 defense

Jay Hill is setting the tone with championship expectations from day one. The most intriguing part is that he arrived in Michigan with a clear blueprint: mirror the dominance of the Wolverines’ 2023 national title defense, built under Jim Harbaugh.

“I compared it a lot to the 2023 defense that was here at Michigan,” said Hill. “…I’m watching them. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, that defense looks just like us.'”

Schemed by Jesse Minter, that 2023 unit was truly elite. That season, the Wolverines’ defense allowed just 10.4 PPG and powered the program to a decisive national title win over the Huskies. Now, Hill is leaning into what already worked at an elite level. However, his version won’t be a simple copy-and-paste operation.

“We want to be multiple in the front, three down, and four down,” explained Hill. “We want to be multiple with our coverages and intentional with everything we call.”

Now, Hill is already laying the foundation for a defense that could once again make Michigan one of the most feared units in CFB, but the path won’t be easy. With a schedule ranked as the second-toughest in the B1G, Hill’s championship expectations will be put to the test immediately.