Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake applauds action agaistn Kansas State Wildcats in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret NewsJackson PayneTue, December 2, 2025 at 9:48 PM UTC·2 min readIt appears the Kalani Sitake saga is nearing an end.
Sitake “has begun to inform people that he intends to stay” at BYU, according to a Tuesday report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.
This report comes as Sitake’s name was linked to Penn State’s head coaching vacancy, with multiple national outlets reporting Monday that Sitake was the Nittany Lions’ “top target” and “focus” of their coaching search.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut after negotiations with both Penn State and BYU, Sitake will instead remain with the Provo program he once played for and has now piloted for the past decade.
Since taking over for Bronco Mendenhall in 2015, Sitake has posted an 83-44 record at BYU with four 10-win seasons and five bowl victories, including last year’s 36-14 Alamo Bowl blowout of Colorado.
Additionally, the Cougars have had three ranked finishes under Sitake, with 2025 likely to be the fourth.
Sitake is the third-winningest head coach in school history, only trailing the legendary LaVell Edwards, who Sitake played for as a fullback and team captain, and Mendenhall.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSince joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023, Sitake has led BYU to a 27-10 record, including a 22-3 stretch over the past two campaigns.
With Sitake’s status now seemingly firm, BYU will head to Arlington, Texas, to face Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game this Saturday, where a College Football Playoff berth is on the line for the Cougars.
Brigham Young University Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake celebrates with his team after they beat the Colorado Buffaloes 24-21 at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret NewsAdvertisementAdvertisement
