Seattle hired Zak Hill on February 22, 2024, following two seasons (2022-23) as a high school coach in the Phoenix area and two seasons (2020-21) as Arizona State's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.
As head coach of Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., he led the Sabercats to the 2023 6A state championship title.
During the abbreviated 2020 season, ASU's offense was among the top-20 teams in the nation in yards per completion (5th), rushing yards per game (7th), and scoring offense (12th). RB Rachaad White led the nation in yards per carry and was 14th in all-purpose yards and QB Jayden Daniels was 14th in yards per completion. White led the Pac-12 in scoring while Daniels was second in the conference in pass efficiency.
Hill joined the Boise State staff in January of 2016 as co-offensive coordinator and was named the program's sole offensive coordinator prior to the 2017 season. In 2017 and 2018, Pro Football Focus ranked the Boise State passing game in the top-15 nationally while the receivers earned a top-25 score in each of his four seasons.
The 2019 Broncos program entered the bowl season ranked 19th nationally after winning its fourth Mountain West title since 2011. Boise State went 12-1, qualifying for its 18th consecutive bowl game and 22nd-straight season with a winning record. The Broncos ranked 14th in the country averaging 36.8 points per game.
Hill helped QB Brett Rypien to career seasons at Boise State. Rypien earned four-straight All-Mountain West accolades while also earning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2018, the first such recognition for a Broncos quarterback since Kellen Moore won the award in 2011. Rypien concluded his career as the Mountain West's all-time leader in career 300-yard passing games (21), completions (1,036) and passing yards (13,581). He also ranked second in league history in both wins by a starting quarterback (37) and career attempts (1,619), and tied for second in career touchdown passes (90). RB Alexander Mattison led the Mountain West and ranked eighth nationally in rushing (1,415), giving Boise State 10-straight seasons with a 1,000-yard back.
Hill served as passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Eastern Washington for seven seasons (2009-15). In Cheney, Hill coached some of the top quarterbacks in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), including Walter Payton Award (given to the nation's top FCS player) finalists Vernon Adams, Jr. (2012-14) and Matt Nichols (2009), and 2014 Grey Cup champion Bo Levi Mitchell (2010-11).
He helped oversee the offense of an Eastern Washington program that made the FCS playoffs five times over his seven years and captured the 2010 FCS national title. The Eagles also reached the FCS semifinals twice more, in 2012 and 2013, and won or shared the Big Sky Conference crown six times.
Hill was a record-breaking quarterback at Central Washington from 1999-03. He broke more than 20 league records and passed for 8,882 yards and 76 touchdowns while completing 60.2 percent of his passes. In 2002, Hill led Central Washington to an 11-1 record and was named a third-team All-American. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2013.
Following his playing career, Hill became a student assistant at EWU from 2004-05, where he worked with 2005 Walter Payton Award winner, QB Erik Meyer.
Hill then spent three seasons at Hillsboro High School in Oregon, serving as offensive coordinator in 2006-07. He took over as head coach in 2008 and led the school to an appearance in the state Class 5A playoffs.
He earned his bachelor's degree in school health education from Central Washington in 2004, and he and his wife, Hollie, have one daughter, Valerie Ann, and one son, Brett Thomas.
