BYU Ends Coaching Carousel Rumors, Signs Kalani Sitake To New Extension
Dec 10, 2021, 2:16 PM | Updated: 2:20 pm
PROVO, UT - NOVEMBER 6: Kalani Sitake head coach of the BYU Cougars greets fans as the team arrives for their game against the Idaho State Bengals November 6, 2021 at the LaVel Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake isn’t going anywhere.
After interviewing for the vacant Oregon Ducks head coach position, BYU has locked up the sixth-year head coach with a new contract extension.
Sitake is extended through the 2027 season in what BYU is calling a “new, unprecedented contract.”
OUR COACH.
We love you Coach Sitake!! pic.twitter.com/oFTyNsSqQI
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 10, 2021
“In recent days and weeks there has been a lot of movement among college football head coaches,” BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a written statement. “Today, I’m thrilled to know that Kalani will continue to be our leader, coach and mentor going forward. In the past 50 years, BYU has had only four head football coaches. Consistency, creativity and culture have been our hallmarks. Kalani will continue to strengthen our football team culture and develop young leaders based on his emphasis of ‘love and learning’. I’m grateful for Kalani and the Sitake family for their commitment to BYU.”
This week was a tense one for BYU as Sitake appeared to be in the mix for the vacant Oregon position. Other candidates for Oregon’s job appear to be UCLA’s Chip Kelly and Cal’s Justin Wilcox, two men that happen to be represented by the same agency as Sitake.
With back-to-back 10-win seasons and a 6-1 record against Power Five opposition, Sitake has emerged as a hot name in the ever-winding Coaching Carousel. National analysts mentioned his name for the Washington position after the Huskies fired Jimmy Lake, but Sitake didn’t gain much traction in that coaching search.
Oregon appeared to be a more significant threat for Sitake. Players in the BYU football program expressed concern on social media for the future of their head coach, adding to the tense feelings around Provo this week. But this was the outcome both Sitake and BYU have wanted all along.
During an interview with BYUtv, Athletic Director Tom Holmoe was asked what was being done to secure Kalani Sitake’s future at BYU. Holmoe responded, “We are in conversations with Kalani at this point in time, and he’s our coach. We want him for a long time and good things are going to happen in the near future.”
When Sitake first became BYU’s head coach in 2016, he stated he wanted to become the “Polynesian LaVell Edwards.” With the success that Sitake has built both on the field and off, there is no longer a question that Sitake is the face of BYU football as they move into the Big 12 Conference era.
This is the second contract extension given to Sitake during this calendar year. The former BYU football player, who played for legendary LaVell Edwards, was extended in August through 2025. Now this new extension locks him in through the 2027 season.
Signing this contract extension now comes at a critical time for BYU as they are set to host a big group of official visitors that includes the nation’s No. 1 JUCO cornerback in Keionte Scott from Snow. Next Wednesday begins the early signing period. This brings stability to BYU’s 2022 recruiting class.
Sitake has guided BYU to a 48-28 record since he became the head coach of the BYU football program in 2016. During his time, BYU is 3-1 in bowl games. They will look to improve that mark coming up on December 18 when they face the UAB Blazers in the 2021 Independence Bowl.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
