Brian Santiago has only been running the show at BYU since May 2025, when he took over for Tom Holmoe after two decades in Provo. He's already making his first real mark on the department, and it's coming at the expense of a blue blood.
Marc Hill isn't some random front-office hire. According to Pete Thamel, he's been Kentucky's deputy athletics director since 2019, effectively Mitch Barnhart's right-hand man, and he's spent 27 years total in the UK athletics department in various roles. That's about as institutional as institutional knowledge gets.
Hill has also served as Kentucky's football sport administrator since 2012, per Thamel, meaning he's been the internal point man overseeing Mark Stoops' program through its rise to consistent bowl relevance. He was previously the department's director of strength and conditioning for 12 years before moving into administration, so this is a guy who's touched basically every corner of a Power 4 athletic department.
For Santiago, landing someone with Hill's resume is a coup. Building out an executive staff is one of the first big moves a new AD makes, and pulling a proven deputy AD away from a program like Kentucky signals BYU wants people who've already run the machinery at a high level, not just up-and-comers.
It's also a notable exit for Kentucky, which just watched a 27-year staffer walk out the door during a stretch where the athletic department's leadership picture has been a talking point in Lexington. Losing someone as embedded as Hill leaves a real gap for Barnhart's staff to fill.
Expect more details on Hill's exact title and scope at BYU in the coming days as the move becomes official. For now, it's a quiet but meaningful early swing from Santiago as he starts stamping his own front office in Provo.