PROVO — After three years on Jay Hill’s defensive staff and running BYU’s special teams, Kelly Poppinga is moving into the next chair.
The Cougars finaliized the promotion of Poppinga to defensive coordinator Wednesday, an internal ascension that will attempt to stabilize Hill’s departure to Michigan.
Poppinga replaces former defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who left to take the same position on the Michigan staff under former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
In addition, BYU announced the promotion of defensive tackles coach Sione Po’uha to associate head coach, and hired former Southern Utah head coach Demario Warren as defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach — replacing former assistant Jernaro Gilford, who joined Hill in Ann Arbor.
“We have a lot of quality coaches in our program, and I’m proud of their collaborative efforts over the past few years and the momentum we have been building as a staff,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said in a statement. “I’m confident Kelly and Sione will be a great benefit to our players in these new roles as we continue to find ways to help our players improve and elevate the success of BYU football.
“I’m excited to add Demario to our defensive staff. He has experience both as a head coach and a defensive coordinator and is known for his expertise in the secondary, developing young talent and being a great recruiter.”
Poppinga will also have a valuable resource in Gary Andersen, the former head coach at Southern Utah, Utah State, Wisconsin and Oregon State and defensive coordinator at Utah who confirmed that he will be staying at BYU where he has been a senior defensive analyst since 2024.
Indeed, the cupboard will hardly be bare for Poppinga’s new assignment. Since the 12th-ranked Cougars’ 25-21 win over Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl that capped a 12-2 season — the winningest since 2001 — BYU has added a slew of commitments to return to the program.
Top defensive players to re-commit, or “lock in” for the 2026 campaign, include defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, linebacker Siale Esera, defensive tackle Anisi Purcell, safety Raider Damuni, cornerback Tre Alexander and defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau. Perhaps the biggest commitment came Friday, when rising junior Faletau Satuala re-committed to BYU following his All-Big 12 third-team season by league coaches.
“My family and I are extremely blessed to be at BYU and work for Kalani,” Poppinga said. “I am thankful for this opportunity Kalani has given me to be the steward over a great defensive unit. I feel that the past 17 years of my life in this career have prepared me for this moment. Our players and staff have built a great defense over the past few years, and we look forward to competing for and winning championships in the years to come.”
A former All-Mountain West linebacker who led the Cougars to conference titles in 2006 and 2007, Poppinga’s family name has been heralded with BYU football for nearly 50 years.
His father Dennis played tight end for the Cougars from 1968-71, and he and his brother Brady both played under former head coach Bronco Mendenhall before going on to the NFL.
The coaching career of “K-Pop” has been golden, going up-up-up since he first joined Mendenhall’s staff as part of a heralded group of interns in 2009, took a graduate assistant job a year later, and was promoted to linebackers coach in 2011.
When Mendenhall left for Virginia in December 2015, Poppinga was one of several assistants who followed. After two years as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach, Poppinga was named co-defensive coordinator until Mendenhall stepped away from coaching at the end of the 2021 season.
He didn’t stay away for long, though, returning to the west as edge coach and co-special teams coordinator at Boise State under Andy Avalos for one year prior to re-joining the staff at BYU under Sitake in 2023.
His players have spoken highly of him, including former BYU stars-turned-NFL standouts Kyle Van Noy (Patriots) and Fred Warner (49ers), and he also coached Sione Takitaki, Alani Fua and Spencer Hadley to NFL careers.
Warren joins the Cougars with 18 years of coaching experience, including six as head coach at Southern Utah and the Thunderbirds’ former defensive coordinator when Gilford accepted his first full-time coaching assignment in Cedar City. He’s been at Boise State since 2022, helping the Broncos to three-straight Mountain West championships.
This past season, Warren led a defensive backfield that ranked 15th nationally in pass defense, allowing just 175.6 yards per game with a 113.17 pass efficiency defense. The Broncos were also tied for 22nd nationally with 14 interceptions, including 10 from the cornerback room.
