BYU football coach Kalani Sitake celebrated his 48th birthday Tuesday, and one of the most meaningful wishes came from his sideline opponent in Saturday’s Big 12 showdown in Fort Worth, TCU coach Sonny Dykes.
No, Dykes didn’t say he hopes Sitake will be successful in the 1:30 p.m. MDT contest at Amon G. Carter Stadium. But he did pile praise upon Sitake, who he considers a close friend.
“Kalani is a lot of fun. A big personality. Just a really cool guy. He is one of those guys that probably looks a lot different in the game, on the sidelines, than he is off the field,” Dykes said in his weekly press briefing Tuesday. “I love the guy. You can tell, people just gravitate to him. He’s got a big personality.”
Dykes went on to say that being around Sitake makes him want to be a better person, and coach. The coaches and their wives spend a lot of time together at get-togethers sponsored by Nike and at the annual coaches golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.
“He really respects football. That’s what I love about him. He wants to talk football. He loves the game. I think he’s very appreciative that he’s got a chance to coach at BYU and I think when you see guys like that, I think it is the way it is supposed to be,” Dykes said. “I (appreciate) the guys that love their job, and they are appreciative that they have it. And they make people better. Kalani is certainly one of those guys that does that.”
“Kalani is a lot of fun. A big personality. Just a really cool guy. He is one of those guys that probably looks a lot different in the game, on the sidelines, than he is off the field. I love the guy. You can tell, people just gravitate to him. He’s got a big personality.” — TCU coach Sonny Dykes
Sitake brought up his friendship with Dykes and his wife, Kate, in his opening comments Monday during his weekly press briefing.
“This is a well-coached team. I really like Sonny Dykes. Sonny and his wife Kate are amazing people. … My wife Timberly and I have had a lot of interactions with them. They are amazing together and the things that they do leading young men and leading programs (are impressive).
I consider him a friend. I have tons of respect for him and his program.”
Dykes has coached against BYU before.
He was Cal’s head coach in 2014 when the Cougars traveled to Berkeley and edged the Bears 42-35 under then-coach Bronco Mendenhall and behind the quarterbacking of Christian Stewart, who outplayed Jared Goff.
“I have tremendous respect for BYU,” Dykes said at the Big 12 football media days in July. “My dad (Spike Dykes) and coach (LaVell) Edwards were close, so I grew up as a fan of the team.”
Dykes said the 2023 version of the Cougars is 4-1 because they are playing “winning football,” which is something the Frogs haven’t mastered yet.
“Just a good, solid football team. I think that’s the bottom line. You look at them, and they are good on offense, good on defense, good on special teams,” Dykes said. “It is a solid team. They don’t make a lot of mistakes, they execute in the red zone, they are good on third down. They just don’t make a lot of mistakes. Very few penalties.”
