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02/02/2012
Sitake, Roderick promoted, Finn, Shah Hired.
11/21/2011
Tight Ends
Cornerbacks/Special Teams Coordinator
7th Year
Coaching Experience
2005- Utah
2010-
Cornerbacks
Special Teams Coord.
2007-09
Tight Ends Special Teams Coord.
2005-06
Cornerbacks
Co-Special Teams Coord.
2001-04 - Utah
2004
Administrative Assistant
2003
Graduate Assistant
Defense
2002
Graduate Assistant
Defense
2001
Graduate Assistant
Offense
Bowl Experience
2001 - Las Vegas Bowl
2003 - Liberty Bowl
2004 (2005) - Fiesta Bowl
2005 - Emerald Bowl
2006 - Armed Forces Bowl
2007 - Poinsettia Bowl
2008 (2009) - Sugar Bowl
2009 - Poinsettia Bowl
2010 - Las Vegas Bowl
In the last six years, Jay Hill's name has been linked with some of the biggest names in Utah football history. Hill, Utah's special teams coordinator since 2005 and the cornerbacks coach for three of those years, has mentored three All-Americans, two Mountain West Conference players of the year and four first-team all-MWC players.
Hill's first-team All-Americans include defensive back Eric Weddle in 2006, place kicker Louie Sakoda in 2008 and punt returner Shaky Smithson in 2010. Weddle and Sakoda were both consensus All-Americans. Sakoda, the first unanimous consensus All-American in Utah football history, was also a first-team All-America punter in 2007.
Sakoda was a Lou Groza and Ray Guy finalist in 2008, while Smithson led the nation in punt returns yards and average in 2010. Weddle was drafted in the second round by San Diego and has started at safety for the Chargers for the past three seasons.
Weddle and Sakoda combined to win five MWC Player of the Year awards--Weddle winning defensive MVP in 2005 and 2006, and Sakoda earning the special teams' award from 2006-08. Both were two-time first-team all-MWC selections: Weddle in 2005 and 2006 and Sakoda in 2007 as a punter and in 2008 as both a punter and kicker.
Other first-team all-MWC players under Hill were place kickers Dan Beardall in 2005 and Joe Phillips in 2010.
Hill, a Ute defensive back from 1998-99, coached the corners from 2005-06 and 2010 to the present. During his first coaching stint with the corners, he was an early influence on future NFL draft picks Sean Smith, Brice McCain and R.J. Stanford.
Hill worked with the tight ends from 2007-09. He has overseen the special teams the entire time--first as the co-coordinator in 2005 and since then as the coordinator. Hill was a finalist for the 2008 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year and he was listed in the "Class of 2009 Top 25 Recruiters" by recruiting service Rivals.com.
Along with exceptional kickers, Utah's coverage teams have also excelled. The 2006 Utes led the nation in net punting and Utah led the MWC in kickoff coverage for the past four seasons.
Hill is in his 11th year on the Utah staff, having spent three years (2001-03) as a graduate assistant and a year (2004) as an administrative assistant.
Recruiting Area
Arizona, Utah, Las Vegas
Playing Career
Hill started for the Utes from 1998-99, after transferring from Ricks College, where he was a 1997 junior college All-American and the team's defensive MVP. His senior year at Utah, he led the MWC in interceptions and was named Utah's Defensive MVP and second-tean all-MWC second. The two-time academic all-conference selection won a National Football Foundation Unsung Hero Award in 1999. He later played briefly in the XFL for the Orlando Rage. He signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills in 2000.
Education
Utah, 2000
Bachelor's in Spanish
Utah, 2005
Master's in ESS/Sport Psychology
Personal Data
Birthdate: Mar. 16, 1975
Hometown: Lehi, Utah
Family: Married to the former Sara Kern. Daughters, Ashtyn, Alayna and Allie; son, Jacob. They are expecting a baby in May.
