ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The entire new Michigan football coaching staff, save for perhaps former Ohio State coaches Tony Alford and Kerry Coombs, has become accustomed to being able to do more with less in terms of talent. Yet, for defensive coordinator Jay Hill, that's not how he sees his opportunity with the Wolverines.
Certainly, on paper, Hill has never overseen such a collection of talent. Having often coached three-stars and unranked players, with a smattering of four-stars, now Hill is working with a group of mostly four-stars with a smattering of five-stars. It's a completely different ball game.
Even so, he doesn't look at it as if he has the most talent. To him, that's not as important as having the most cohesive team possible. If he can
have that, then yes, this talented team could be among the best he's coached. But it requires a holism that goes beyond simply recruiting rankings.
"That's probably unfair. Every team is different," Hill said. "I've been around some very, very talented teams. Do I think this team can be right there with them? Yes. I think the biggest key for where we're at right now is continuing to grow our culture, grow the toughness, grow the discipline, just grow what we need to do to become a great team.
"The best teams aren't always the most talented. It's the best team, and that's where we are in the fight to just become the best team possible. I do like the talent, and I like a lot of the position groups. I just want to see how we progress."
This unit appears to be on the way there.
At Big Ten media days, head coach Kyle Whittingham shared that the Wolverines were weak from a strength and conditioning standpoint compared to that of his Utah teams. He worked with strength coach Doug Elisaia to improve the team in those areas through winter and summer conditioning, and with fall camp now having started, it appears that the message took, and the gains met.
Hill says he's seen the differences, and that's a big part of what he's talking about. You need the culture to go along with the talent, and given how much work they've all done in the weight room, everyone seems to be on the same page.
"Coach Elisaia gave a grade to this team. Very rarely do you come out of summer conditioning with the grade as high as he gave them," Hill said. "I think there's been phenomenal buy-in to them. There was phenomenal buy-in to the spring. I've seen bodies change. I've seen personalities change. I definitely believe we're heading in the right direction."
We'll know more about whether or not these cultural and strength changes will make a difference on September 5, when Michigan hosts Western Michigan for the 2026 season opener at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Jay Hill says Michigan football talent needs culture to win
