PROVO, Utah – Longtime BYU football assistant Jernaro Gilford is following Jay Hill to Michigan.
Gilford, who was promoted to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator under Jay Hill at BYU this past season, will coach the defensive backs on Hill’s defensive staff for the Wolverines.
Jernaro Gilford joins the Michigan Wolverines staff
The University of Michigan formally announced Hill’s defensive staff on Saturday. Gilford joining the Michigan staff is another coach with ties to the state of Utah who will be working for Kyle Whittingham in the Big Ten Conference.
Got our guys on defense and special teams ☑️
🗞️ https://t.co/iZvU9fKdHJ pic.twitter.com/TdyjAA8V7R
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 3, 2026
The departure of Gilford leaves no assistants remaining from Kalani Sitake’s first coaching staff when he took over in 2016.
Gilford was a BYU football assistant for 10 seasons
Gilford coached the cornerbacks at BYU for 10 seasons and was the lone assistant that Jay Hill retained from BYU’s previous defensive staff when he was hired three years ago.
During his decade at BYU as the cornerbacks coach, Gilford produced BYU’s first NFL Draft pick at cornerback in 28 years when Chris Wilcox was selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. He also coached up current San Francisco 49er Jakob Robinson.
Gilford also played at BYU and was a teammate of Kalani Sitake’s.
BYU now has two coaching staff positions that need to be filled. In addition to serving as BYU’s defensive coordinator, Jay Hill coached the safeties.
“I’m excited about the collaborative efforts of our defensive coaches over the past few years and the momentum we have been building as a staff,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said in a written statement following the exit of Jay Hill.
“We have a lot of quality coaches in our program and I’m proud of their efforts. We’ll make the necessary staff adjustments soon, as we continue to find ways to help our players improve and elevate the success of BYU football.”
Top priority at cornerback
Whoever the next cornerbacks coach ends up being, they will have one of BYU’s starters returning in Therrian Alexander III. The Georgia native was among many BYU players who posted “Locked In” or “Run It Back” messages, signaling their commitment to BYU in 2026.
A player that should be a top priority to retain for BYU in the secondary is Evan “Shmev” Johnson.
Johnson had five interceptions, which included a pick-six against East Carolina during the 2025 season.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
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