BYU defensive ends coach Preston Hadley will become the next defensive coordinator at Northern Colorado under former BYU associate head coach Ed Lamb, ESPN reported Sunday.
Hadley’s status was in question after former defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki left the program two weeks ago. It was confirmed that cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford would be retained, but Hadley, Lamb and linebackers coach Kevin Clune faced uncertain futures.
Multiple sources close to the team confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that Hadley was leaving the program. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss the matter publicly.
Hadley had been on staff at BYU since 2018. He also played in Provo in 2011-12.
He started as a safeties coach, a position he played when he was in college. Last year, he was moved to the defensive ends and hybrids room, where he had little experience.
This season, there was hope BYU’s pass rush would improve. But the defensive line produced only 13 sacks, ranking 130th out of 131 teams in the country. New defensive coordinator Jay Hill said a main tenet of his defense would be putting pressure on the quarterback.
Hill and Hadley did work together back in 2016 when Hill was the head coach at Weber State. Hadley was the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator in Ogden for two seasons until he left for BYU.
With Hadley gone, there is only one major question left for Hill to answer on his defensive staff. Will he retain Clune?
Hill said he was evaluating the staff, including Clune, when he was introduced on Wednesday morning. Notably, Sitake did not say Clune was on the road recruiting. Instead, he only mentioned Gilford, Hill and new assistant defensive coach Kelly Poppinga as actively recruiting during this cycle.
“It will be [head coach Kalani Sitake] and I evaluating the rest of the staff,” Hill said. “Who is potentially out there and making sure we get the best fits for the program on the field and who is doing the best job recruiting.”
