- Kalani Sitake declined Penn State's offer, prompting BYU to enhance football investments.
- BYU aims to boost salaries and facilities to retain Sitake and compete nationally.
- Sitake's decision underscores BYU's need for commitment to achieve championship aspirations.
PROVO — For listeners with a discerning ear, BYU coach Kalani Sitake provided keen insight into the ramifications of his dalliance with Penn State.
Sitake announced Tuesday that he rejected the Big Ten program's lucrative offer, a decision that surprised many in his circle. Football staff members thought they were leaving with their boss for new positions with the Nittany Lions.
In short, he was ready to go for a better situation until BYU stepped up. One school official said, "it came right down to the buzzer."
"I never really thought about leaving ever, but I'm also a competitor," Sitake said, "and I want to be able to take care of people. This is just one of those moments where I felt like us being in the Big 12, if we can make the right moves then I don't really need to do this anywhere else. I can do it here. I feel like we have some great momentum."
Breaking it down, Penn State's attempt to poach Sitake hastened the BYU administration to make needed investments into its football program. As a staff member said, the possibility of losing Sitake should serve as a wake-up call for BYU to increase its commitment to legitimately compete for championships.
Administrators have repeatedly stated the desire for all BYU athletics to win at the highest levels but have to back it up with action. Increasing salaries is always the obvious answer, but it goes beyond money.
Football staff members have grown weary of running the program on a shoestring budget compared to Big 12 counterparts. They point to Texas Tech, which has a defensive line that makes almost more than all of BYU's players.
As a private institution, BYU does not have to release financial details of any contracts. For comparison's sake, reports also on Tuesday stated Tech coach Joey McGuire has agreed in principle to a new seven-year deal annually worth $7 million.
There are also smaller things, such as having to share the indoor practice facility with other sports and intramurals. Before rejecting Penn State, Sitake needed to sign off BYU's commitment that Santiago said was several weeks in the making.
"In order to get somewhere you have to have the vision first," he said. "And then you have to know along the way this is what we want to get there. It's easy to say we want it all in one day; it just doesn't work that way. But communication and being able to talk about things and seeing that there's a plan in place, that's been the key."
After stumbling through a 5-7 season in BYU's first year in the Big 12, the Cougars have gone 22-3 the last two seasons and will play Texas Tech this Saturday for the conference championship and automatic bid into the 12-team playoff. The impressive performances have led to BYU coaches fretting other programs will raid their roster with big money promises.
As part of BYU's commitment, national media members reported the football team will add up to $15 million in NIL compensation to the players above the $20.5 million that schools can pay. The purpose is to retain players and bolster recruiting, which Santiago called the "lifeblood" of a successful program.
Penn State, which had been in contact with Sitake for more than one week, is the latest program to show interest in him over the last few years. As word got out, the BYU community rallied to express their love for him over the last several days.
"It was an amazing feeling of appreciation from everybody," he said. "I don't know how you can leave that, man. I just don't know how you can walk away from it. It's not really about the money, but there is an opportunity for me to take care of my players and my staff and make sure that we're all headed in the right direction."
