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OGDEN — In December 2013, then-Utah assistant coach Jay Hill had a choice to make that would forever affect his life.
Yearning to be a head coach, Hill was presented with the opportunity to either become the head coach at Weber State University, or maintain his position as a trusted lieutenant at the side of Utah’s Kyle Whittingham. With an idea on the direction he wanted to move in his head, Hill was hired as the new football coach at Weber State and has been immersed in helping the Wildcats turn around their recent football struggles.
There have been press conferences; there have been recruiting trips; there have been meetings with program supporters — things that are different from when Hill was an assistant for the Utes. However, he said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“As an assistant, you’re so involved and engulfed in your position, and so your eyes are always fixated on just that small portion,” Hill said. “As a head coach, you’re trying to see it all, and you’re trying to see the organization. Are we going from drill to drill clean; are the coaches doing a good job with their individual drills? You’re trying to see it all.
“I do like the newness of just kind of overseeing everything, and making sure everything is running smooth. That’s been fun.”
Hill is friendly, yet intense; driven, yet understanding. One thing Hill will not tolerate is a lack of organization, and he noted that he developed that trait after working for a successful string of head coaches.
“I’ve worked for maybe the best coaches in the game in college football,” he said. “(Ron) McBride, in his way, was very organized in what he wanted to get done. Urban (Meyer) was a little different in that he was very detailed and organized, and he (said how things needed to be done). Kyle, as far as X’s and O’s, he’s the best coach I’ve ever been around; it’s crazy how good he knows the game.”
So far this spring, the coaching staff has mainly focused on building relationships with players, and Hill said it can be a challenge for both players and coaches.
“It’s been a little bit of a struggle, just making sure the guys buy in,” he said. “Again, it’s a process where they’re feeling me out and I’m feeling them out. The players are trying to get a feel for exactly what they can and can’t get away with.”
Still, other players like veteran running back Bo Bolen said they have enjoyed the accountability that Hill and his staff have created on the team.
“I’m excited for the season,” said Bolen, who led the team in rushing last season. “I think, overall, this team is stronger; we’re faster. People are getting held accountable to every little mistake they make, myself included, so I love it.”
Coaches are organized people by nature; if they weren’t organized, there is no way they could possibly accomplish every task that needs to get done each day. With that comes sacrifices, whether with family or personal health. Knowing that coaching can be an incredibly taxing effort, Hill said he tries to take care of himself, following a pattern that was set by mentors Whittingham and Meyer.
“It’s long hours,” said Hill, who routinely comes into work at 6:30 a.m. “I think just making sure that you don’t have any vices that are taking you away; drinking, smoking can be a grinder on your body. It’s just like anybody — you’ve got to get good sleep and (work out). So I encourage our assistant coaches to find that 45 minutes to an hour to work out each day. I think that’s important for a coach, to stay in shape.
“Monday, I went for a seven-mile run just to kind of catch my thoughts. (Working out) helps us kind of formulate our thoughts, and that’s a good time to just go think.”
After spending his entire career coaching at Utah, Hill, his wife Sara and their four children had gotten comfortable in their home in the Salt Lake Valley, but the move to Weber State required that the family move as well, to South Ogden. Hill said the burdens placed on a coaching family are unfortunate.
“(Moving) is really one of the downsides of this business,” he said. “Ideally, you could go to a job, be extremely happy at that job, and stay there for 30 years; that’s not how coaching is. I will say this, (Whittingham) was very good to me and my family, and all the other assistant coaches down there. There wasn’t a lot of people getting fired; there wasn’t a lot of transition going on. He took care of us, and as a consequence, I, (Aaron Roderick) and (Kalani Sitake), we had a lot of good job opportunities to leave, and didn’t. Looking to move a bunch; that’s just not my personality.”
Still, the pressures and disappointments a new head coach can face are often tempered by the relationship a coach has with his peers. For instance, Hill said he still frequently communicates with Whittingham.
“I still talk with him once a week,” Hill said. “I’m going down there (Friday); there’s a coverage deal we’re dealing with, and I know how we did it at Utah, but when you want to tweak something, one thing about Kyle is he always knows some potential pitfalls.”
Hill said in his press conference that both Whittingham and Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen told him that they would have liked to have had the opportunity Hill has at this stage in their careers, and he has taken their words to heart.
From his mentors (Whittingham, Meyer, Andersen, and former Utah/Weber coach Ron McBride), Hill said he has crafted a philosophy of how he wants a program to run, and also things he won’t expect from players.
“Lack of respect for authority is something that I won’t let go by,” said Hill, who is described by players as a disciplinarian. “Physically, (it) would just be being lazy.”
Indeed, Hill is all about effort and competition, and said he is seeing improvement from Weber’s players as spring ball continues on.
“I really like the way the offense is executing right now,” Hill said. “They’re doing a good job of running the football, and it all starts with running the ball. That’s opened up the play action the last couple practices. So, I like how they’re progressing.”
