Returning to his southern Illinois roots was a family decision for AJ Hill

CARBONDALE, Ill. — By the age of 28, AJ Hill had already led Du Quoin High School to four-straight playoff appearances. So when he gave up his position as head football coach at his high school alma mater in 2019, the move might have seemed surprising from the outside.

There was a simple reason why Hill moved to the Springfield, Illinois area, where he took an assistant coaching position at Rochester High School. Family.

His future wife, Sasha, had enrolled in SIU’s medical school in Springfield, and Hill was determined to support her career path.

Seven years later, Sasha has earned her medical degree, completed a residency, and recently accepted a job at SIH, allowing the couple to return to their southern Illinois roots.

Rather than jump back into coaching high school football this fall, Hill has joined the staff at his college alma mater, Southern Illinois, serving as a volunteer assistant. It’s a unique opportunity to coach alongside his older brother, Nick Hill.

StrongDawgs conversation with AJ Hill

SD: What factored into your decision to return to this area and join your brother’s staff?

AH: My wife had twins about a year ago. We felt it was time, with the addition of the twins, to get back closer to family. Having coached and taught at high school for the last 12 years, I was just looking for places to land. This opportunity presented itself, and the chance to coach together is something we've always talked about.

SD: Your wife’s career played an important part in you accepting this position, didn’t it?

AH: Yes. My wife, Sasha, is from Du Quoin. We met in high school in 2008 and have been together for a long time. She went to Medical School at SIU and is currently finishing up her EM residency at Barnes Jewish Hospital. She took a position with SIH to work in the emergency room, so she'll work at all the SIH hospitals here in southern Illinois. I'm excited that she's going to be able to impact the community in a positive way.

SD: As a couple, how have you balanced the demands of each other’s careers?

AH: First, I have to give her a shout-out for letting me do this for a summer and a fall. We've moved to a couple different places during the last six years to support her career, and this job on Nick’s staff was kind of my reward for doing that. Football has always been a big part of my life, and it takes a wife who understands what the demands of the job are. She's been on-board since day one.

SD: As a volunteer, what will your role on the staff look like?

AH: I’ll be an offensive assistant and probably help out in a lot of different aspects, maybe looking at what's going on in the college football world, what's trending. I'm going to be doing a lot of learning, as well, so I'm looking forward to being a sponge.

SD: You’ve been a very successful high school coach. How does volunteering at the college level fit into your career plan?

AH: Initially, how I pitched it to my wife was, I'll do it part-time, and then obviously I'll be a part-time stay-at-home dad as well. I'm going to probably be spending more time here than maybe I initially expected. In terms of other jobs, my plan is to start subbing at some high schools next spring and figure out where's the best fit for me to get back into high school coaching.

SD: You became the head coach at Du Quoin at age 24 and went to the playoffs every year. You probably could have coached there as long as you wanted to. How hard was it to leave?

AH: You're right. I could have ridden that job out for the rest of my life, probably. It was a tough decision, obviously, leaving the place you were born and raised, but I got an opportunity to coach at Rochester, Illinois, which there's been some Rochester lineage here at SIU. That was a great experience as an assistant coach. We won a state championship my first year there in 2019. Recently, I've been at Eureka, Missouri, and we've had a bunch of successful seasons. I've always landed on my feet and had good opportunities where I've been.

I was really young when I was the coach at Du Quoin, and I was learning trial by fire. I felt like toward the end I was really getting my feet under me, but it's been a unique perspective to have that experience to start as a head coach and then go learn from some other successful programs as an assistant. That's what I'm going to do here at SIU as well. I'm always thinking about what I would do when I get back into that seat of being a head coach at a high school.

SD: Have you ever considered taking a full-time position at the college level?

AH: When some jobs have came open, especially early on, Nick would ask if I was interested in hopping over. I’ve always told him that I like the lifestyle of a high school coach. Summers are a little more laid back. The season and the travel isn't as much. There's no recruiting, at least not at the schools that I've been at.

SD: Being five years younger than Nick, what was it like following in the footsteps of a high school legend, and then going on to leave your own mark?

AH: It was great. With the age gap, when I was young, I thought he walked on water. He set the bar pretty high, and I think that's a good thing to learn how to deal with a little pressure of people saying, you're going to be like Nick. It made me set my goals and aspirations pretty high.

Nick was always hyper-aware of the impact that he was having on me, so he knew to set a good example through his work ethic. There was never any internal pressure from him or my family. It was just like, hey, he did this, and if you want this, you have the blueprint for how to go achieve it. Go and work hard and achieve something.

SD: Your brother began his college career as a basketball player. Did you ever consider that path?

AH: No, I was a different basketball player than Nick was. He could fill it up, you know? I started for three years and I really loved basketball, but I always knew if I'm gonna go play college athletics, it's gonna be football.

SD: Did you have an offer from Southern Illinois before you accepted the scholarship from Northern Illinois?

AH: Yeah, I did. It was from Coach (Dale) Lennon, and then when Coach (Jerry) Kill and the staff went to Northern Illinois, obviously they recruited me as well. Having watched my brother play for him, I had little more familiarity with the staff. That’s why I initially chose Northern.

SD: After you transferred to SIU, you spent your career backing up quarterbacks Paul McIntosh and Kory Faulkner. How did that experience shape you as a person and later as a coach?

AH: I was in a couple competitions with Kory and ultimately, I wasn't the starter. I think it's being able to humble yourself a little bit and still find a role. How was I going to impact that team, even though I wasn't the starter? That's something that I took pride in, of trying to impact the team in a positive way. When things don't always go your way, how are you going to respond? I think it's given me a unique perspective to have tough conversations when you gotta tell a kid that he's gonna be a backup. Having been in those shoes helps me relate.

SD: Everyone knows the passion Nick has for this region. Do you share a similar passion?

AH: Yeah, growing up in Du Quoin made me who I am, and I love the people here in southern Illinois. I think the people are what makes it special. I eventually wanted to get back to southern Illinois. We didn't know it was going to be this soon.

AJ Hill on Senior Day

SD: What are some of your emotions about coaching at your alma mater?

AH: Being an alumni of SIU means a lot to me. Even if Nick weren't here, I would still watch every Saluki game. I always told him, I think I'm more nervous watching him coach on Saturdays than I am on Friday nights, because there's just a bit more weight to the success and non-success that exists at the college level. There's higher consequences than in high school. You got to have some success or you're not going to be there very long. So, yeah, Saturdays are pretty nerve-racking, but it's gonna be a different feel this year because I'm gonna be around it. Hopefully, Saturdays aren't as nerve-racking for me this year.

SD: You both played the quarterback position and are identified with the offensive side of the ball. Are you on a similar coaching wavelength with Nick?

AH: Yeah, I would say so. I think just our philosophy of managing a team comes from the values that have been instilled in us since we were young and how we were raised. In terms of football, I think we're both really adaptable. You've probably seen that over the last few years, depending on who Nick’s got behind center and what his team makeup is, he's able to adapt and has a system in place. Football is a game where nobody's really creating a bunch of new plays. It's just how you package them together, and I think that's something that we’ll be on the same page with for sure.

SD: What drove you to make a career out of coaching?

AH: I would say Coach (Al) Martin and Coach (Martin) Gross. Just thinking about those guys makes me a little teary-eyed. Coach Gross, who was one of our cousins, was just a great guy. I saw the way that he could impact kids, and that's definitely the reason I got into coaching. I knew I wanted to impact kids and be around the game of football, and what better way than coaching a game I love. Teaching is pretty rewarding as well.

Sasha and AJ Hill with their twin girls.

SD: What provides you more job satisfaction, winning games or impacting kids?

AH: I think it's a combination of both. You obviously want to be successful from a competitive standpoint. At the high school level, you realize that 99 percent of these kids aren't going to go on to be college players, but they love it. They want to play with their friends. I think that's what's unique about small-town football, seeing a group of kids that grew up together, kind of come together.

Every once in a while you're gonna coach a kid like Hank Beatty, who we had at Rochester and is with the Titans now. You're gonna love that he goes on and has the success, but you're also gonna love a text you get from a kid who’s in a career now, doing well, and he remembers something from the time when he played for you.

SD: Faith and family are key cornerstones of Saluki Football. How does that apply to your life?

AH: One of the biggest things that Coach Martin would always preach was just faith, family, football, and football coming third. That's kind of been instilled in us. Growing up in a family where faith is important, it’s obviously still important in my life.

I haven't seen the ins-and-outs of how Nick runs a program or a team meeting or development or those types of things. I think a compass of having good values and good morals is really important. I'm excited to be a part of that and find out where I fit in, in that regard.

SD: Are you excited for your twin girls to grow up around their cousins?

AH: Yeah, that was a big part of the decision for us to move back. Let's let them grow up around their family, not just see them on the big holidays. We weren't too far away in St. Louis, but it's gonna be nice for them to grow up around their family.