Kyle Whittingham on the verge of making first major Michigan hire

Kyle Whittingham is close to securing his first major hire as Michigan football head coach.

One day after his hire as Michigan football head coach was made official, Whittingham, the long-time Utah head coach, is reportedly "very, very close" to securing a deal to steal away the BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill for the same position.

This is according to Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press.

Jay Hill close to being Michigan defensive coordinator

Hill worked for Kyle Whittingham at Utah, coaching in various roles such as cornerbacks, running backs, and tight ends. Then, he took the head coaching job at Weber State, eventually winning four Big Sky conference championships.

Hill has been the defensive coordinator and safeties coach the past three seasons for BYU, with the. Cougars having ranked in the top 20 in scoring defense in each of the past two seasons.

Hill is an appealing candidate for a few reasons. He could bring Gary Anderson, the former head coach of Wisconsin, Oregon State, and Utah State with him. Anderson was on the BYU staff as an analyst this past season.

Not only is Hill's profile rising as a defensive coordinator, but it also doesn't seem like it will be long before he gets a shot at a head coaching job. Maybe that will come at Michigan in a few years.

Regardless of that, Hill is an excellent defensive coordinator. Whittingham is familiar with him, and while that would signal a change in the defensive system, moving on from Wink Martindale was the right thing to do.

It's also the first major hire for Whittingham and honestly, it's hard not to like it.