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OGDEN — KSL has learned that Weber State head coach Jay Hill had discussions with Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham about the vacant defensive coordinator position.
In response to the reports, Hill made an appearance Thursday on 1280 AM in Salt Lake City to clarify that he will continue coaching the Wildcats.
In the interview, Hill said the opportunity to be Utah's defensive coordinator crossed his mind immediately after Kalani Sitake left for Oregon State, and both he and Kyle Whittingham had discussions about the position. However, Hill said he ended discussions as soon as he decided he couldn't leave Ogden.
When he was hired in December 2013, Hill said he was committed to turning the institution's football program around, after the Wildcats had lost three head coaches in the previous three seasons.
Hill has consistently spoken of his professional desire to be a head coach, which prompted his initial departure from Utah in 2013. He said he initially wasn't looking to move on from Weber, after the end of a 2-10 2014 season, and also said money isn't everything in looking at different opportunities.
Ultimately, Hill said he couldn't leave the Wildcats because of a loyalty he felt to the school.
"I have a guy I love working for in (Weber athletic director) Jerry Bovee, and players that I absolutely care about here."
With the distraction behind him, Hill said his staff is focused on immediately improving the talent level on Weber's roster.
"The recruits right now are very open to Weber State," he said. "The future at Weber State, and where we're going, I've got very good assistant coaches that do a great job recruiting. It's amazing the talent level we're up against; we're battling with Mountain West Conference schools with a lot of kids, and we're winning some of those battles."
Prior to being named the Wildcats head coach in Dec. 2013, Hill was an assistant for the Utes for 13 seasons, including three years as a graduate assistant and one as an administrative assistant from 2001-2004. He was a member of Whittingham's original 2005 staff.
