Kalani Sitake Extension Proves His BYU Football Passion Is Unmatched
Dec 3, 2025, 12:14 AM
PROVO, Utah – When Kalani Sitake took the head coach position with BYU football 10 years ago, he made it clear that, along with being a former player under the legendary LaVell Edwards, he was a BYU fan.
Fast forward to Tuesday night, days before BYU football prepares for one of the biggest games in program history, Sitake’s passion for BYU was on display again.
Sitake signed a new contract extension that locks him in long-term as BYU’s head coach.
He picked BYU over blueblood Penn State.
Kalani Sitake is BYU football
From being a shy, diehard BYU fan as a kid to now, the leader of a BYU program, Kalani Sitake, more than ever, is BYU football.
Sitake has an overall record of 83-44 as BYU’s head coach.
It hasn’t always been perfect during Sitake’s tenure in Provo. However, when there have been moments of struggle, Sitake has shown an ability to adapt and make the necessary changes to prevent setbacks from creeping into his program again.
The changes have not always been easy. But it’s now led to Sitake having an excellent coaching staff with Jay Hill as defensive coordinator and Aaron Roderick as offensive coordinator.
Since 2024, the 16-team era of the Big 12, Sitake has put together the winningest program in a Power Four league. Sitake’s BYU program is 22-3 since last year.
The latest extension that keeps Sitake in Provo highlights a much-needed commitment to a coach who has poured his heart and soul into the program.
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Whenever an extension comes up, Sitake has delivered for the BYU football program and taken it to a higher level.
Sitake: “I’m here.”
With the reported $9 million annual financial commitment to Sitake and an investment in his staff, there’s no reason to think Sitake can’t take it to a higher level.
All the while, he still has that connection with BYU fans that’s hard to find in the world of college coaches who are more often than not paranoid about everything around them.
“Finally, I just want to express my love to all the fans,” Sitake said emotionally on Tuesday during his contract extension press conference. “My wife said that the last day or so was probably one of her favorites. She called it a ‘love bomb’ from all the fans. It’s hard to leave when you have something so special and you have amazing people that support us. So, I’m just grateful that I get to be around the amazing fans, and to make things easier, we’ll just quit all of the drama. I’m here.”
BYU fans couldn’t be happier.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
