Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- BYU extends head coach Kalani Sitake's contract, securing his leadership long-term.
- Athletic director Tom Holmoe expressed gratitude, highlighting Sitake's achievements and future goals.
- Sitake aims to retain his coaching staff and enhance program investments.
PROVO — The news came like a thief in the night, a press release with a time of 10:05 p.m. after Saturday night's conference championship games leading into the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
But in case the 24-hour news cycle didn't pick it up quite enough, we'll repeat it here: BYU has agreed with head coach Kalani Sitake on a long-term contract extension that will keep the former BYU fullback with the program "well into the future."
Sandwiched in the middle of a bye week as a result of not making the Big 12 title game and a bid to the Alamo Bowl against No. 23 Colorado — and just ahead of top-rated recruit AJ Dybantsa's commitment to BYU basketball, No. 17 BYU (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) may not have felt the announcement got the right amount of traction as it could have.
So athletic director Tom Holmoe posted on social media platform X less than a day later "my gratitude to Kalani for extending his contract into the future."
"Kalani is the leader of the staff and players that give us reason to celebrate," Holmoe said. "Next step: a chance to shine in the Alamo Bowl."
Sitake's latest contract extension, which replaces the one agreed upon following the 2021 season that went through 2027, didn't come about overnight, though.
The new deal builds on Sitake's nine seasons as head coach, including three double-digit win seasons in the past five years — the most recent of which perhaps the most surprising, taking a 5-7 team to a 10-2 record and the cusp of the Big 12 title game.
While terms of the new deal weren't released as is customary at the private school owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sitake himself confirmed that part of the new contract will include upgrades for his staff, including defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Jay Hill.
"There was a lot going on," Sitake said. "My contract was one of them. I'm glad that we got this done, and I'm going to be the coach here for a long time. Now my goal is to help retain all our coaches here. I'm working on that, and trying to find ways to make investments to the program to get us where we need to be."
Sitake's new deal came in the midst of college football's "silly season," when the coaching carousel combines with the opening of the transfer portal and the early signing period for high school recruits that can spin one's head several directions.
It's unknown if Sitake was a target for any other coaching jobs. But less than 24 hours after he agreed to the new contract, Purdue hired former UNLV coach Barry Odom and Scott Frost agreed to return to UCF, where he previously led the Knights to a 13-0 season in 2017 before bolting for his alma mater, Nebraska.
That's the environment under which BYU and Sitake found themselves landing at a new deal, though it's likely talks could have begun as far back as April when new men's basketball coach Kevin Young was hired.
Regardless of when they first talked, Sitake has been due a new contract for a long time, senior center Connor Pay believes.
"He's turned down a lot of money and a lot of other opportunities to stay here, because he loves this school and he loves us as players," Pay said. "I hope … that the school is rewarding him for that, for his loyalty, and everything he's done for the program. Three 10-win seasons in the last five years; there's a very short list of coaches in the country who have done this and I promise he's the lowest-paid one.
"I'm really glad they were able to get this done, and I hope he's here for decades more."
More important than the wins, though, is Sitake's demeanor. The BYU graduate who is the first native Tongan to lead a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision played for legendary coach LaVell Edwards, and has tried to revive a culture similar to the one under which he played more than 20 years ago while winning at a 71-43 clip in nine seasons with seven bowl appearances.
In addition to being a former defensive coordinator at Utah and Oregon State, Sitake is also a devoted family man, a father of five, and a returned missionary for the church.
"I don't think there's a better man to lead BYU than Kalani," Pay said. "All you have to do is spend a few minutes with him, and you can tell that he resonates everything that BYU represents."
Taking care of his family and his coaches' families is what "motivates me more than anything," Sitake added.
"I'm looking forward to having our administration work with our coaches and getting them in the right place to keep them here with me," he said.
