BYU Formally Adds Veteran Coach Chad Kauha’aha’a As Analyst
Jan 16, 2024, 12:40 PM
BYU Football adds Chad Kauha'aha'a (left) as a senior analyst. (Chris Samuels, Deseret News)
(Chris Samuels, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football has officially added veteran Chad Kauha’aha’a as an analyst on the staff.
Kauha’aha’a, a former Utah Utes defensive end in the 1990s, has nearly two decades of experience as a coach.
Welcome to the Family Chad Kauha’aha’a!!
Chad joins the Cougs with experience from UCLA, USC, Utah, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Boise State, Utah State, UNLV and Weber State. pic.twitter.com/nDIansUkPJ— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) January 16, 2024
BYU football announced that Kauha’aha’a is a senior analyst for the 2024 season.
Analysts are additional coaches on the staff but are not allowed to participate in off-campus recruiting.
Chad Kauha’aha’a has nearly two decades of coaching experience
Most recently, Kauha’aha’a was the UCLA defensive line coach in 2022.
Last season, Kauha’aha’a worked as a volunteer analyst on BYU’s staff. He was with the BYU program throughout its first year in the Big 12 Conference.
In December, while BYU didn’t have its full allotment of 10 assistant coach positions filled, Kauha’aha’a, a native of Kihei, Hawaii, took part in recruiting visits to Hawaii, representing BYU’s staff on the recruiting trail.
Strong relationship with BYU football coach Kalani Sitake
Kauha’aha’a has a strong relationship with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. The two worked together at Utah and Oregon State. But their relationship goes further than that.
When Kauha’aha’a was an assistant coach at USC in 2019, Kauha’aha’a explained that his bond with Sitake goes beyond friendship.
“Coach Kalani is a dear, close friend to my family,” said Kauha’aha’a to KSL Sports in 2019. “I got to know Coach Kalani when I first got into the business of coaching. When I signed off as a coach at Weber State, Weber State’s budget wasn’t going very well. I got to know Coach Kalani; he kind of took me in.
“When I was out on the road recruiting, he invited me and said, ‘Listen, I know your situation. I’ve been there. Why don’t you stay with me and I can show you the ropes?’ That’s how this friendship started. Over the years, it’s built, and it’s like we’re family. It’s like we’re a blood family. That’s how close we are.”
With Kauha’aha’a’s extensive background as a defensive line coach at UCLA, Boise State, USC, Wisconsin, Oregon State, and others, it’s expected that he will assist as a defensive analyst.
BYU lost one of their defensive analysts, former defensive end Jan Jorgensen, who took the edge rusher position on Bronco Mendenhall’s staff at New Mexico this offseason.
Other defensive analysts on BYU’s staff include Randy Coy and Gavin Fowler.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
