BYU has its next defensive coordinator.
Special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach Kelly Poppinga is being promoted to the role, according to a report from ESPN earlier Wednesday. The deal was made official Wednesday evening.
Poppinga has spent the past three seasons on the Cougars’ defensive staff under Jay Hill, following successful stops at Boise State and the University of Virginia.
His promotion felt like the natural next step for a program intent on continuity after Hill’s departure to join Kyle Whittingham's staff at Michigan.
A former BYU linebacker, Poppinga was an All-Mountain West selection in 2006 and 2007 and brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the position. His background as both a player and a coach inside the program made him an obvious internal candidate.
Another potential internal option, former BYU cornerbacks coach Jernaro Guilford, was no longer available after being hired last week by Whittingham at Michigan.
Within the building, Poppinga is widely respected by players and fellow coaches alike. That familiarity should ease the transition and allow BYU to maintain much of the defensive identity it built under Hill as it moves into the next chapter.