‘This thing is going to continue to move forward’: Kelly Poppinga discusses new role as BYU’s defensive coordinator

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‘This thing is going to continue to move forward’: Kelly Poppinga discusses new role as BYU’s defensive coordinator

Brigham Young Cougars alumnus and current coach Kelly Poppinga walks on the field during the annual Brigham Young University Blue vs. White scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on March 31, 2023. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Jackson Payne · Deseret News

Sat, Jan 10, 2026 ·

6 min read

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It's been quite the week for Kelly Poppinga .

The former BYU linebacker and longtime assistant coach was promoted to the Cougars' defensive coordinator position Wednesday, and later that night he was officially introduced in his new role to BYU fans at the Marriott Center.

On Friday, he made his first appearance on "BYU Sports Nation" as a defensive coordinator, with a prerecorded interview between him and show hosts Spencer Linton and Jarom Jordan being broadcast on the popular BYUtv program.

"I just feel extremely honored, blessed. I feel like I've been prepared for this moment for a long time, going back to my playing days with Bronco (Mendenhall) and my coaching days with Bronco and just his defensive mind," Poppinga said.

"Here with Kalani (Sitake), I've just learned a lot from him, and a lot from Jay (Hill). Jay was a great mentor in this deal and Coach (Gary) Andersen as well. I just feel like there's been a lot of people put in my path along the way that have really prepared me for this moment."

Here are the highlights of Kelly Poppinga's appearance on "BYU Sports Nation."

On what the defense will look like in 2026

"The defense will be, I think, maybe a little taste of Bronco in there, a little taste of what we've done last year. I mean, I've just learned so much, but the base of the defense will be what it's been.

"I'd be an idiot to change much of what we're doing, but there will be a little (different) thing here and there. But I'm just excited and honored for the opportunity, and grateful."

On what he's learned from his various coaching mentors and influences

"There's so many different things from Bronco's organization that he had, his accountability, discipline, effort. The first defensive meeting we're going to have, we're going to talk about those three things that were instilled in me when he took over this program.

"Jay had a very similar, I would say, structure that Bronco had. Very similar in their approaches, maybe the way that they said it was different.

"I've learned from Kalani, just the way that his whole culture, this love-and-learn culture that took me a while to kind of adjust to. Last time I was here (at BYU), it was a little different way of how we did things with Bronco. I tell people there's a lot of similarities between the two, just the way that the message is delivered is a little bit different.

"But both, you know, were great mentors in my life and (I'm) just excited to move forward with Kalani and learn more and more about this defense. I feel like I'm very well prepared, but I'm sure there's some nuances in there and little tidbits that he's going to give me along the way that I'm excited to learn from."

On his defensive coaching staff

"I'm really excited about the staff that we're putting together. It's not completely done yet, obviously, that's going to take a couple more weeks to be able to go through everybody, but I just feel like it's going to be a collaborative effort.

"I promise you, I don't have all the answers, and I promise you, there's going to be a lot of great ideas (from other coaches) that are put out there. We're going to make sure we put the best product on the field for our program to continue to go forward."

On trying to keep the team together after Jay Hill's departure for Michigan

"I knew I was staying, I wasn't going anywhere. As a defensive coach, I wanted to keep us together as much as I could, calling Faletau (Satuala) immediately, and (Evan Johnson) immediately, and all these different players, (Isaiah) Glasker immediately, all these guys that were key pieces that we knew had a chance to potentially go to the NFL or come back, or whatever it may be. That was a lot of work.

"That was like three days of phone calls. I was on the phone basically Thursday, Friday, Saturday for 12 hours each of those days. Between talking to players and talking to the coaches, I wasn't by myself, all of our other defensive coaches that were still here were doing the same exact thing, trying to just keep this intact and let everybody see the vision.

"Ultimately, I just think the players love Kalani. I mean, that was the mainstay, right? They knew that Kalani was going to be here. And a lot of those guys, you could say all of them, came to play for Kalani. ...

"... No person or player is bigger than the program, and so this thing is going to continue to move forward. The thing that's great about it is I think the players run this deal."

On Tre Alexander helping recruit players to return to BYU

"I recruited Tre, and so he texted me immediately when Coach Hill decided to leave. He said, 'Coach, just so you know, I ain't going anywhere, and I'm gonna call everybody right now. I'm gonna help you out, keep everybody here. I'm rallying the troops.' And then about a couple hours later, he's like, 'Coach, nobody's leaving. Nobody's leaving.'

"I think it's just the collective unit that we have. It's been special. And it all starts with Kalani and his leadership and just this culture he has here."

On hiring Demario Warren as BYU's new cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator

"When I was at Boise State for (2022), it became clear to me if I ever was in a position to hire (Warren), that he was going to be my first call.

"And so initially when Jernaro (Gilford) was here, there was about a day there where Jernaro and I thought we were going to be doing this together (at BYU). And then, you know, an opportunity came for him to go to Michigan. And then when Jernaro decided to make his decision, then I immediately called Demario back and said, 'Hey, listen, I want you to be our (defensive) pass game coordinator with Jernaro leaving.' And so that was easy for me to do. There was nobody (else) on the list. ...

"... He saw the vision. He sees the uniqueness of what BYU can provide as far as just a family atmosphere, and I just think he felt like this was the right place at the right time. So I'm excited to get him here. He's already working. He's been on the phones with portal guys all day today, working on corners."

Demario Warren has been named the new head football coach at Southern Utah. — Demario Warren was hired as BYU's cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator this week. | Photo courtesy Southern Utah

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