{"id":652435,"date":"2026-01-04T04:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T04:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/652435\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T04:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T04:59:17","slug":"byu-football-assistant-follows-jay-hill-to-michigan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/652435\/","title":{"rendered":"BYU Football Assistant Follows Jay Hill To Michigan"},"content":{"rendered":"

PROVO, Utah\u00a0\u2013 Longtime BYU football assistant Jernaro Gilford is following Jay Hill to Michigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gilford, who was promoted to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator under Jay Hill at BYU this past season, will coach the defensive backs on Hill\u2019s defensive staff for the Wolverines.<\/p>\n

Jernaro Gilford joins the Michigan Wolverines staff<\/p>\n

The University of Michigan formally announced Hill\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Got our guys on defense and special teams \u2611\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/iZvU9fKdHJ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TdyjAA8V7R<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The departure of Gilford leaves no assistants remaining from Kalani Sitake\u2019s first coaching staff when he took over in 2016.<\/p>\n

Gilford was a BYU football assistant for 10 seasons<\/p>\n

Gilford coached the cornerbacks at BYU for 10 seasons and was the lone assistant that Jay Hill retained from BYU\u2019s previous defensive staff when he was hired three years ago.<\/p>\n

During his decade at BYU as the cornerbacks coach, Gilford produced BYU\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Gilford also played at BYU and was a teammate of Kalani Sitake\u2019s.<\/p>\n

BYU now has two coaching staff positions that need to be filled. In addition to serving as BYU\u2019s defensive coordinator, Jay Hill coached the safeties.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited about the collaborative efforts of our defensive coaches over the past few years and the momentum we have been building as a staff,\u201d BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said in a written statement following the exit of Jay Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of quality coaches in our program and I\u2019m proud of their efforts. We\u2019ll make the necessary staff adjustments soon, as we continue to find ways to help our players improve and elevate the success of BYU football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top priority at cornerback<\/p>\n

Whoever the next cornerbacks coach ends up being, they will have one of BYU\u2019s starters returning in Therrian Alexander III. The Georgia native was among many BYU players who posted \u201cLocked In\u201d or \u201cRun It Back\u201d messages, signaling their commitment to BYU in 2026.<\/p>\n

A player that should be a top priority to retain for BYU in the secondary is Evan \u201cShmev\u201d Johnson.<\/p>\n

Johnson had five interceptions, which included a pick-six against East Carolina during the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE<\/a>).\u00a0Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12\u20133 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.<\/p>\n

Follow Mitch\u2019s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on\u00a0X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram:<\/a>\u00a0@Mitch_Harper.<\/p>\n

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.<\/p>\n

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah\u2019s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up to date on all your favorite teams.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow @Mitch_Harper<\/a><\/p>\n