Sitake Says Transfer Portal Allows BYU To ‘Have Guys That Should Have Been Ours’
Jul 9, 2025, 2:16 PM | Updated: Jul 10, 2025, 10:57 am
BYU HC Kalani Sitake after 2025 National Signing Day. (Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU)
(Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU)
FRISCO, Texas – The recruiting landscape in college sports has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, thanks to the NIL and transfer portal, but BYU head coach Kalani Sitake believes these changes have given the Cougars a competitive edge.
Sitake joined the KSL Sports Zone contingent at Big 12 Media Days to talk Cougar football in 2025 on Tuesday, July 8.
The Cougar football program has experienced a massive increase in recruiting since joining the Big 12 prior to the 2023-24 academic year. Included in that success has been BYU’s use of the transfer portal to fortify its roster each season.
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“The transfer portals allowed us to have guys that we felt like should have been ours from the beginning, and for some reason, one way or another, they didn’t think they could get stuff done here at BYU,” Sitake said of the program’s transition from its previous independence. “Now that we’ve been in the power conference, there’s no excuses to not choose it.”
Between a decades-long football legacy and growing NIL commitments from donors, BYU no longer takes a back seat to any program in the nation.
Keanu Tanuvasa is reportedly crossing rivalry lines.
The Utah defensive tackle is on the move to BYU.https://t.co/28Wi319QkN
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 30, 2024
The additions of Keanu Tanuvasa, Jack Kelly, Crew Wakley, and many others prove that the Cougars are getting a seat at the table with some of the best players in the portal.
“If guys would love football and they want to be here for the right reasons,” Sitake continued. “We have a system that’s in place that if you want to take advantage of the time that you have… and put your time in and have a great life afterwards, get a degree, have an opportunity to play at the next level. We can do all that and then build your network. I think it’s a great recruiting pitch.”
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Last season, BYU finished with an 11-2 record and a 7-2 conference record. Utah was the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 during its first year, but ended up finishing 5-7 overall and 2-7 in league games.
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Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
