I have a great relationship with Kyle — even to this day and even after I’ve left. I still consider him a friend and I have great connection with him and his family. – Kalani Sitake
SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake explained his departure to Oregon State during a 23-minute interview Friday afternoon on ESPN 700AM’s “Bill and O.C. Show.”
“It just felt right,” Sitake said of his decision to join Gary Andersen’s staff with the Beavers. “It felt like it was a good decision for me and my family and it just felt like the right thing to do to be with Gary and to be with a guy who’s helped my career so much.”
Sitake noted that he now has the opportunity to be mentored by Andersen, who he worked with at Southern Utah in 2003 and at Utah from 2004-08, as a defensive coordinator. Sitake also expressed appreciation for the mentoring he received working for Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and serving as the Utes’ defensive coordinator since 2009.
“I have a great relationship with Kyle — even to this day and even after I’ve left. I still consider him a friend and I have great connection with him and his family. I appreciate everything that he has done for me,” Sitake said. “Same thing with the administration and with (athletic director) Chris Hill. There’s no negative on my behalf or with leaving the University of Utah. It was great with the administration, with leaving the university. I have a great relationship with all those guys and especially with Kyle Whittingham. But it just felt right.”
Sitake reiterated what he said before the bowl game that it would have to be the perfect or right fit for him to leave Utah after 10 years. Sitake thought that might be for a head coaching job and didn’t anticipate feeling the way he did about the opportunity at Oregon State. Andersen made just one offer.
“it just felt like it was the right decision for me,” Sitake said. “It’s hard to explain other than I left for my own reasons.”
After working as a graduate assistant at BYU in 2002, Sitake turned down a more lucrative offer elsewhere to be part of Andersen’s staff at Southern Utah. Sitake considered it the best decision he made and has a similar feeling about the move from Utah to Oregon State.
“I’ve had offers along the way in the 10 years that I’ve been at Utah and none of them felt good about leaving and none of them felt right, but this one did,” Sitake said. “So I hope people can understand that and respect it. But for the most part, you know, I appreciate and I thank Dr. Hill and the administration for everything trying to accommodate me and trying to find a way to keep me there at Utah and I appreciate Kyle Whittingham and everything that he’s done for me as coach.”
Sitake insists that Utah football will be fine without him. He said the cupboards are not bare and it felt really good to get things turned around after “frustrating” back-to-back 5-7 seasons. The Utes went 9-4 in 2014.
“Utah football is not about me and any one individual, and people like Kyle Whittingham and Dr. Hill have done great things for that program,” said Sitake, who added that the Utes will continue to be good for a number of reasons. They include having really good young men on the team in terms of leadership and talent, plus they have good men to coach them. He also noted the importance of fan support.
“It was an honor for me to be there for the last 10 years,” Sitake said. “I thank the fans and Ute Nation for taking care of me and my family and will always be supportive of Utah football because of that. They’ve been awesome.”
When asked to characterize the chemistry on the Utah coaching staff this past season, Sitake said it was fine — especially on defense. He added there were no problems with the offensive side, either.
The whole concept going into this year, Sitake explained, wasn’t about the coaches or contracts. It was about the players and the fans.
“Giving the fans what they deserve and then giving the players what they deserve,” he said. “That was the whole focus.”
Sitake acknowledged that contract talks come up and that the coaches are “big boys” that get paid a lot of money to coach football — adding that the compensation is unbelievable for what they get for doing what they love.
“I’m very grateful for it but I have one thing that I’m really proud of as a coach that I’ve never asked for a raise,” Sitake said. “I’ve never demanded more money or anything like that — just go to work, and I appreciate everything that I have and then all the sacrifices that people make to try to accommodate me as a coach.”
Sitake explained that his decision to leave Utah wasn’t like one thing. After discussing it with Andersen, Hill and Whittingham, it “just felt right.”
Sitake said that he and Andersen have always remained in contact.
“He’s one of my mentors in football and I wouldn’t be where I’m at without him — same thing goes for Kyle,” Sitake said, adding that it ultimately felt like the right time for him to go.
“There’s a lot of personal and private reasons why I made the decision,” he continued. “But it just, so everyone can understand, just felt right. There’s nothing. There’s no ill feelings towards anybody. I’ve been treated better than I deserve. I mean I’ve been treated really, really well there at Utah by everyone.”
Sitake, who mentioned the administration, Whittingham, fans and players, once again said it just felt right to make the move at this time.
“When I feel things in my heart and I act on them, good things have happened — you know, who I married and where I went to school and what jobs I took and who I decided to trust in life,” he said.
Sitake then explained that sometimes you’ve got to go through changes, and this is one that is good for him and his family.
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