Jay Hilbrands '13 receives 4 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award
By Monique Kleinhuizen '08, GS'16, content specialist
September 22, 2025 | Noon
When he was searching for a college, he had a couple of nonnegotiable factors: the school needed a strong athletic program and quality academics. He knew a major state school might look great on his résumé, but he quickly eschewed them in favor of Bethel, following in the footsteps of his older sister, Shannon; a cousin; and lots of family friends and church connections; to become a Royal.
There was another practical component that—looking back now—made a lot of sense for someone growing up on a farm in the rural small town of Clara City, Minnesota. Even though it’s just minutes from all the culture and opportunity of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Bethel’s campus feels secluded and even a little pastoral.
“There’s just a sense of peace with that,” Hilbrands says. “When you’re at Bethel, you don’t feel like you’re 15 minutes away from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.”
He was recruited to play wide receiver for the Royals, and looks back on the team’s success during his college years—and the experiences he had off the field—with fondness. He recognizes the intense personal development that happens in young people from the ages of 18 to 22 or so, and he’s glad he got to experience those years among teammates, roommates, and friends he met at Bethel. It also played a major role in where he’s gone since.
“The people who you're walking through life with are so, so important to what a certain time looks like and how it shapes you. I just had an awesome experience with people who were like-minded, people who were value-aligned and wanted to share the same experiences,” he says. “If I knew then what I know now? Just doing life 24/7 with those people was so incredible. In college, you share every high and every low and leave with lifelong friends.”
Academically, he dove into a communication studies major with an emphasis in relational studies. It was broad enough to allow him leeway in what he could do after graduation, but specific enough to help him capitalize on his outgoing nature and aptitude for marketing and making connections. Early on, Hilbrands knew he wanted to be in the athletics sphere: maybe broadcasting, a front office role with a major franchise, or athletic administration. He leaned on his faculty advisors for guidance around coursework and career exploration, but he also said “yes” every time an interesting opportunity came about outside the classroom.
He learned from and was mentored by former athletic director Bob Bjorklund; the Royals’ current Athletic Director Greg Peterson; Justin Byers, who now directs Bethel’s athletic training program; and former athletics communications director Jared Johnson. Through his now-wife, Royals volleyball standout Caitie (Helle) Hilbrands ’12, he also got to know Head Volleyball Coach Gretchen Hunt. He was impacted by Hunt’s approach to coaching and the team culture she created among the women on her team.
“They all helped shape me and understand truly what I wanted to do,” Hilbrands says, joking that anytime he wasn’t in class or at practice, he was likely in the athletics department in the Robertson Center lower level. “At Bethel, you've got these people who are lifelong servants, because they care so deeply about the mission of the university. Winning aside, these people were and are about all the right things.”
He became a teaching assistant and ran an athletics radio show in conjunction with the Department of Communication Studies. He began an official internship in communications and marketing for the athletics department, compiling stats and game write-ups and maintaining rosters for class credit. He assisted in gameday operations with Peterson—”Petey”—before throwing on number 6 and taking to the football field himself. There, he scored 13 career touchdowns and ran the ball 1,041 yards for the Royals.
While he was building a toolbox of practical skills that serve him today, he also developed a philosophy of athletics that is foundational to how he operates. “I'm a firm believer that sports are the most powerful tool to unite people, to teach life lessons, and to build community,” he says. “Those are all things that were part of my own journey as an athlete, things that I thought I wanted to create someday, but that was only affirmed through Bethel.”
Since graduation from Bethel, Hilbrands has had a steady ascent in the world of collegiate athletics. He became a graduate assistant in athletics while completing his master’s at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. Then he returned to the Twin Cities for three years, taking a role as assistant athletic director at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. He moved to the University of Washington, rising up in the ranks through four athletic leadership positions before being recruited as deputy athletic director and chief of staff at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. There, he oversees all external functions of the Trojans’ athletics department: marketing, fundraising, ticket sales, communications and public relations, licensing and multimedia rights, and managing name-image-likeness (NIL) opportunities for students.
He leads a team of hundreds of staff supporting thousands of student-athletes in one of the premier athletic programs in the country—and Hilbrands is at the center of it all, in many ways filling the connection-making role he’s been preparing for since his Bethel days.
It’s a rapid-paced and sometimes confusing moment to be in the intersecting and complex worlds of college sports, communications, and leadership. Over the last handful of years, he and his teams have had to grapple with the pandemic, which all but halted collegiate athletics and drastically impacted the student experience. They’ve faced the introduction of NIA compensation and the growth of artificial intelligence, the polarizing political climate that’s impacted many facets of higher education, and cultural questions around whether college is worth it and how traditional, four-year institutions can compete with online and for-profit ones.
Through it all, Hilbrands has had unwavering clarity around his calling and professional direction—even, maybe especially, in a setting that is not overtly Christ-centered.
“I know this is where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing. Sports can be the vehicle to connect all these people from all these different backgrounds,” Hilbrands says. “I feel really fortunate to have held leadership positions where I can have daily influence on people. I’ve got an unbelievable platform.”
From Bethel to Phoenix to Northwestern to Washington to LA, he’s loved seeing how a web of connections, personally and professionally, has supported him in the tight-knit athletics community. He’s come to appreciate the importance of maintaining and cultivating relationships, being unwavering in his commitment to his Christian faith and values, and being the best leader, husband, and father he can be—because people are always watching. And without a shared faith foundation with many he comes in contact with, his actions speak louder than anything he could say about Christ and the Church he represents.
— Jay Hilbrands '13
“There can be so much energy spent on things outside of our control…so how do you manage your energy around them?” he asks. “Joy is contagious. But so is the opposite of joy. And to whom much is given, much is required. That’s how I live my life, keeping those things in mind.”
In his leadership position, he has a unique vantage point and exposure to decision-making at the highest levels: the triumphs and the struggles of a well-established brand that’s feeling its way through a new era just like any other organization. He knows it’s all preparing him to be a better leader and a better person, and he’s leaning into it.
When asked about the younger Royals following in his footsteps, he encourages them to try new things, to trust their instincts and capitalize on the Bethel network and the skills they gain on campus to propel them forward into the unique paths God is calling them onto.
“Don’t be afraid to take a risk,” he says. “Bet on yourself. Know that you can go and change the world. Why not you? Go and do what God’s calling you to—and don’t be held back for any reason.”
Nominate the next 4 Under 40 recipients!
Bethel University’s National Alumni Board annually seeks and accepts nominations for the 4 Under 40 Alumni Achievement Award. The selection is made from Bethel University graduates 40 years of age or younger who have had outstanding achievements in their career, public service, or volunteer activities.