Head coach Kalani Sitake received a congratulatory call the night BYU finally defeated rival Utah (26-17) in September.
It was from Mark Harlan, the director of sports at the University of Utah, one of Sitake’s former employers. Utah wanted to win, of course, but the athletic director said a lot of people up north are excited for their former defensive coordinator and co-head coach.
Weeks later, reports surfaced that Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was looking to retire after 17 years of successful head coaching career.
Whittingham, in the midst of a tremendous season rebound that resulted in a Pac-12 Championship and the birth of Rose Bowl, dispelled the rumors – sort of, “I’ve got more time now than ever, so that’s what I’m thinking.” right now, ”said Whittingham.
There’s no denying that Sitake is on Whittingham’s successor list.
Then November hit.
The coaching landscape across college football was changing, with only the fourth head coach to ever run BYU on a new contract just three months after his old contract was extended in September.
So it went down.
Coaching carousel
In late November, one of the game’s hottest coaches, Lincoln Riley, left Oklahoma for USC. Shortly thereafter, Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU, which was noteworthy in that his team was close to a possible college football playoff run. How did two coaches get behind great successes on blue blood programs, not to mention buckets of money?
Then Mario Cristobal announced on Monday that he was leaving Oregon – the Pac-12’s most consistently top performer – for Miami.
There were a total of 28 coach changes this season, including 13 in the Power Five programs.
The chain reaction was similar to when Texas and Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The move has created unforeseen opportunities for programs like BYU to attend a P5 conference.
When Cristobal left Oregon for Miami, the Ducks’ attention included Sitake. Cristobal and Sitake have the same agent, David Dunn of the Athletes First Agency, which makes it easier to share information.
Oregon organized a Zoom call Tuesday morning with the BYU head coach. On Tuesday afternoon, there was urgency at BYU. Sitake never visited the northwest.
During the Zoom call, the trainer, sources tell Oregon, his priority was to stay at BYU. The conversation ended and the Ducks moved on. The call, however, started a fire under BYU, and already clearing the landscape had changed, Sporting Director Tom Holmoe stepped into action and worked with other senior administrators to work out a contract and plan that would make sure would have Sitake and his staff stay there.
Advantage: Sitake
success
The attractive coaches on the market are successful in the field and in recruiting. Sitake is no different. His Cougars are 21-3 for the last two seasons. He went 6-1 against P5 opponents this year, which is the most P5 wins in a single season at BYU in program history.
Sitake caused a stir with last year’s 10-1 record, but the performance was marred by naysayers due to the tight schedule. This year, with what is arguably the toughest schedule in school history, he is up against UAB with a bowl game on Saturday 10-2. And he did it with a newfound depth at BYU – the key to success at a Power Five conference.
Advantage: Sitake
urgency
Negotiations were well underway as of Tuesday afternoon this week, despite the interest of Oregon’s sports media after a writer in the northwest reported candidates the school could tap. But down in Provo, Kalani said he wanted to stay. The administration wanted him to stay.
The proverbial elephant who sat quietly in the corner of the room during negotiations with Sitake was BYU’s membership in the Big 12 in 2023. The Cougars have gone back to 21 months before starting as a Power Five program, and they are not ready yet.
A few weeks ago, Sitake presented a plan to the sports department to provide more money for its current employees and to expand it according to the typical P5 programs. The focus was not only on a contract for the head coach, but also on the sustainability of the program and the loyalty of other coaches.
Another pressure point for BYU is the early signing phase with recruits. Oklahoma lost four 5-star recruits with the loss of Riley. BYU has had strong recruiting momentum since the Big 12 was announced on September 10th. Securing the head coach for the coming years strengthens trust in potential recruits.
Attending a P5 conference was BYU’s dream long before Sitake was discontinued in 2016.
Sitake wants to compete the moment BYU enters the league. In order to be ready, he had insisted that action be taken quickly.
Advantage: Sitake
exit game
Private contract negotiations are difficult as both local and national media seek information. But even as the radio talk show hosts continued discussing the Oregon job on Thursday, the BYU deal was almost signed – few details remained.
The Tuesday through Thursday negotiations required several things: a lot of work from Holmoe, the school president, to get pledges for money, details of the length of the deal, future negotiations with assistant coaches, and support at warp speed from BYU’s sponsor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On Friday morning the time had come. The parameters – not the actual order numbers – have been confirmed to the public. Kalani will be extended until the 2027 season.
“There has been a lot of movement among college football head coaches in the past few days and weeks,” Holmoe said in a statement. “Today I am very happy to know that Kalani will continue to be our leader, trainer and mentor in the future.”
Kalani never packed a bag for Oregon. For the time being he stays in Provo.
Advantage: BYU
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