Kalani Sitake Named On Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach Of The Year Watch List
Oct 16, 2024, 1:21 PM
BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake enters spring practices feeling optimstic about his team after a year of Big 12 experience under their belt. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, UTAH- BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitaki is beginning to receive national recognition after leading the Cougars to their first 6-0 record in four years. Since starting his tenure in 2015, Kalani has piloted the Cougars to a 61-41 record. Sitake has his team sitting atop the Big 12 in only their second year as members of the conference and is in prime position to make a push for the College Football Playoff.
Kalani Sitake has been named on the 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watch List. This is Coach’s second time being nominated for the award, his first coming in 2020 when he led BYU to a 9-0 start and an 11-1 record overall.
The official Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards 2024 Coach of the Year Watch List has been released! Did your coach make the list?
— Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards (@bryantawards) October 16, 2024
📰 – https://t.co/rrcJ1G9xg9
The Coach of the Year will be announced January 22, 2025 at the 39th annual #BryantAwards ceremony presented by @MarathonOil! pic.twitter.com/oALKu7DIz8
BYU’s press release notes, “Presented by the American Heart Association and the Bryant family, the award is given each January to a college football coach whose contributions make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life — both on and off the field.”
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Kalani Sitake joins 26 other coaches across college football who were nominated for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award and currently sits in elite company with names like Steve Sarkisian of Texas and Kirby Smart of Georgia.
There are three other Big 12 coaches that joined Sitake, Chris Klieman of Kansas State, Joey Mcguire of Texas Tech, and Matt Campbell of Iowa State. Non-coincidentally, each coach’s team is currently sitting in the top 5 in the Big 12 standings.
Seven weeks in, here's how the #Big12FB @SeatGeek Standings shape up 📊 pic.twitter.com/ldEbVlmXWb
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 13, 2024
The winner of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award will be announced from Houston, Texas on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
Kalani Sitake was also named the Midseason Big 12 Coach of the Year by College Football Network, and also landed on Kirk Herbstreit’s list of top-performing coaches in week 7, adding to his accolades during his unprecedented start to the season in 2024.
Coach Sitake and the BYU Cougars will battle the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Friday, October 18, another stop on their quest to an undefeated record.
