BYU may have missed out on luring Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo to Provo to take over the Cougars football program, but reports are suggesting the next head coach of BYU has been found. Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, according to Dick Harmon of Desert News, will be the next head coach of BYU.
Kalani Sitake is first the LaVell Edwards player hired as HC after 16 years by BYU. Been told official announcement could B today.
— Dick Harmon (@Harmonwrites) December 19, 2015
Sitake is negotiating in assembling his staff. Getting right "fit" was key for BYU's new hire.
— Dick Harmon (@Harmonwrites) December 19, 2015
Sitake played fullback for BYU in the late 1990s and graduated in 2000. He got started in coaching the following year in 2001 as a defensive back and special teams coach at Eastern Arizona College. The next season he returned to BYU to fill a role as a graduate assistant, working with the defense. He then went on to coach two years as a offensive assistant at Southern Utah before joining Utah in 2005 when Kyle Whittingham took over the job as head coach following the departure of Urban Meyer to Florida. He joined the staff as a linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2008. At the time, Sitake replaced Gary Andersen, who moved on to become the head coach at Utah State. Andersen eventually moved on to coach at Wisconsin and returned to Oregon State this past year. Andersen made room on his staff for Sitake.
The hiring of a former BYU football player and assistant should make for an easy transition to the job as head coach. Although Sitake will now be taking on a number of new responsibilities as a head coach of the program, the familiarity with the BYU program and the way the program runs should be a benefit for Sitake as he takes over. Coaching at BYU comes with a different set of expectations and limitations, similar to the job of coaching a military academy. Throw in the relative uncertainty of BYU’s future as an independent, there could be some unforeseen challenges to come, but having a coach who understands BYU should help ease some of the concerns, and it may already be having an impact on support for the program.
By BYU locking up Sitake, a brotherhood of former Cougar players are celebrating and pledging full support in money and whatever needed.
— Dick Harmon (@Harmonwrites) December 19, 2015