BYU extends Kalani Sitake's contract after 10-2 regular season

PROVO — Kalani Sitake isn't going anywhere.

Following the close of a wild day of conference championships across the country, BYU made waves of its own without playing a game, announcing the university and its head football coach of the past decade had agreed to a long-term contract extension that will keep Sitake with the program "well into the future."

Details of the new deal were not made available, but the contract will supersede Sitake's previous contract through the 2027 season.

Part of Sitake's previous extension involved a massive overhaul to the football support staff, an increase in the salary pool for his assistant coaches, and laying the groundwork that would eventually bring former Weber State head coach Jay Hill to BYU as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

"I'm thrilled to announce a long-term agreement to extend Kalani Sitake as BYU's head football coach," BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said in a statement. "In his nine years at the helm of the Cougs, Kalani has created a culture that fits the mission of Brigham Young University and our sponsoring institution — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Holmoe said Sitake "builds strong connections" with the athletes while helping them "grow and develop as players on the field" and "helps strengthen our men for their lives after football."

"Kalani's signing signals his loyalty to a program he has poured much of his life into as a young fan, a player and our head coach. With college football experiencing so many recent changes, it's good to know we will have a consistent leader for a long time in Kalani Sitake."

Sitake, 49, was recently named the AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the AFCA National Coach of the Year award after leading the Cougars to a 10-2 regular season — their third in the past five years — and a 7-2 mark in Big 12 play, five more wins than BYU's inaugural campaign in the conference a year ago.

Since taking over the program in 2016, Sitake has shepherded BYU from FBS independence to the Big 12 while earning a career record of 71-43, including a 29-9 mark in the past three years.

A native of Nuku'alofa, Tonga, who was raised in Laie, Hawaii, and Provo, Sitake was recently inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame after becoming the first Tongan head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

"I am grateful for the continued confidence and support I receive in my role leading the BYU football program from president Shane Reese, vice president Keith Vorkink, athletic director Tom Holmoe and deputy AD Brian Santiago," Sitake said in a statement. "I have said this many times, but before I became the coach at BYU, I was first a Cougar fan and then a player here.

"We have the best fans in the world. I remain humbled to be the head coach at this great university and believe in its mission. I love the outstanding young men, coaches and staff we have in our program, and I'm excited about the opportunities we have ahead competing in the Big 12 Conference."

After graduating from high school in Kirkwood, Missouri, Sitake enrolled at BYU and played fullback for legendary head coach LaVell Edwards. Sitake then served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oakland, California, and returned to eventually become a three-year starter for Edwards.

After a brief career with the Cincinnati Bengals that ended early with a back injury, Sitake took his first job as defensive backs coach and special-teams coordinator at Eastern Arizona College. He returned to his alma mater for a year as a graduate assistant, then spent two seasons at Southern Utah.

But his big break in the coaching world came in 2005 when he was hired as the linebackers coach at the University of Utah. When Kyle Whittingham was promoted to head coach following the departure of Urban Meyer, Sitake became Whittingham's defensive coordinator in 2009 and assumed the title of associate head coach three years later.

He followed Gary Andersen — who now coaches the BYU defensive line as a defensive analyst — for one season at Oregon State in 2015 before Bronco Mendenhall's departure to Virginia brought Sitake back to Provo.

In his nine seasons as head coach, Sitake has guided the Cougars to a bowl game in seven of them and currently holds a 4-2 postseason record.

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