BYU working to crumble Penn State's pursuit of Kalani Sitake

If Penn State was on the verge of luring Kalani Sitake away from BYU to be the next head coach of the Nittany Lions, then BYU is working hard to keep its head coach from leaving Provo. BYU is hoping to convince Sitake to stay with the program in the same week BYU is preparing to play in the Big 12 championship and make a case for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The rumor mill was spinning wildly with word of Penn State making a push for Sitake to be the next head coach of the Nittany Lions, officially succeeding James Franklin (who is now working his magic on the recruiting trail at Penn State's expense with Virginia Tech). Days after murmurs of a mystery candidate surfaced, Sitake appeared to be the rising candidate for Penn State.

This was especially true as other potential candidates for the job were landing jobs elsewhere, including Bob Chesney of James Madison to UCLA and Michigan State, bringing in former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. A number of other potential candidates for the Penn State job have been locking in new deals with their current employers as well, which has led to some questioning of how Penn State's coaching search has transpired.

And now, BYU and its supporters are going all out to convince Sitake to stay with the team. Among those seemingly getting involved with the sales pitch to stay in Provo is Jason McGowan, a BYU alum and the CEO of Crumbl Cookies. McGowan posted on social media a cryptic message suggesting he would help BYU make an effort to keep Sitake in Provo.

There seemed to be some hope that this coaching search was getting close to ending for Penn State, but there are no guarantees here. BYU has resources and a following that can make it difficult to lure someone away for a job, and Sitake may just be a much better fit for BYU anyway. If nothing else, Sitake appears to have plenty to consider with his position in the coming days. And at the same time, he has to focus on bringing a Big 12 title to BYU.

Sitake and BYU face Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game this week. The winner will be guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff, and BYU is already stumping for its inclusion in the playoff regardless of the result of the Big 12 championship game.

In the meantime, Penn State's coaching search continues.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: BYU reportedly optimistic it keeps coach from leaving for Penn State