BYU Shake-Up: Assistant Coach Reportedly Eyes Exit After Big 12 Meltdown

BYU’s shot at making the College Football Playoff vanished with one ugly loss in the Big 12 Championship Game — and now the fallout is hitting the coaching staff. After the Cougars were blown out 34–7 by Texas Tech, a new report suggests that Defensive Coordinator Jay Hill may be ready to walk away from Kalani Sitake’s program.

According to BYU insider Travis Garlick, Hill has been telling people close to him that he plans to leave the staff. The report adds that Hill was frustrated with Sitake’s limited presence at practices during the week leading up to the title game. While the team was trying to prepare for its biggest matchup of the year, Sitake was dealing with rumors linking him to Penn State’s head coaching job and negotiating a new deal with BYU.

Those distractions sparked even more speculation: if Sitake did leave for Penn State, Hill — a former Weber State head coach who won four straight Big Sky titles — was seen as a strong candidate to take over. Instead, BYU moved quickly to secure Sitake, announcing a long-term extension right before the championship game.

But momentum was hard to find on the field. The timing of the extension, the outside noise, and the Penn State rumors all hit during recruiting season and right before the title game — and BYU looked nothing like a playoff contender once kickoff arrived.

The Cougars jumped ahead early with a strong opening drive capped by an LJ Martin touchdown. But from there, everything unraveled. BYU scored zero points the rest of the night, while Texas Tech piled on 34 unanswered. Outside of that 90-yard opening drive, the Cougars gained just 110 yards across their next 12 possessions and turned the ball over multiple times.

The offense struggled even more after quarterback Bear Bachmeier went down with an ankle injury and didn’t return. BYU finished with only 137 passing yards and just 63 on the ground. The offensive line spent most of the night overwhelmed, allowing pressure or sacks on a large portion of the team’s 27 pass attempts. BYU managed only three true downfield throws, and the stalled offense handed Texas Tech a smooth path to the Big 12 crown.

At 11–1 heading into Championship Weekend, BYU believed it deserved a top playoff spot. Instead, the CFP Committee ranked the Cougars at No. 11 — behind several 10–2 teams — leaving their postseason hopes in limbo and pushing them toward the bowl-game route.

Now, with Jay Hill reportedly considering an exit and the season ending in disappointment, the Cougars face even more questions heading into the offseason. Whether Sitake’s new deal can steady the program — or whether more staff changes are coming — remains to be seen.

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