BYU has a unique opportunity to make another first impression 101 years after its first football game. Stepping up to a new level of Power Five football and into the Big 12 gives the Cougars a longed-for chance to begin again — but on a much bigger stage.
Among the current conference foes, BYU has never played at Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma or West Virginia. It hasn’t kicked off at Kansas State since 1976, at Iowa State since 1974, and at Texas Tech since 1940. Only once have the Cougars rolled into UCF or Cincinnati.
There are plenty of opportunities to get reacquainted with the old schoolers, but many more chances for first-time meet-and-greets and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake wants his boys dressed to impress both by how hard they play and how well they represent.
Sitake has nothing to hide. His program is operated by a school that is owned by a church. In addition, many of his players step away from the game for two years to serve others on missions — just as Sitake did in 1995.
The Cougars, while not perfect, are perceived to be different because they try to be. They are also misperceived to be so much older than everybody else, which is not really the case. Even with the returned missionaries, the average age of the team is 21.7 — although there are a few exceptions.
To his credit, Sitake stands firm on his principles in a competitive arena where personal integrity and conviction are seen more as a guideline than a rule. Not for him. He made that quite clear at last month’s Big 12 media days when he declared to a throng of reporters, “Our football program is right in alignment with the mission of our church. We claim our belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior and there are a lot of people who fall in line with that, whether they are members of the church or not.”
The coach is also determined when it comes to recruiting. If an athlete is more interested in NIL opportunities than the team, or less interested in living the honor code, Sitake won’t take him no matter how big or fast he may be.
In addition, if a struggling player is sincere in his effort to improve, the coach will walk with him every step of the way — even if it eventually means helping him find a new school.
Holding that ground doesn’t give Sitake righteousness points over his colleagues at other schools and sometimes BYU loses a player they could really use. But he is convinced that standing firm amid the wobbly landscape of college football will deliver long-term success both on the field and in the lives of those who play for him.
So far, he’s been right. Transfers Kedon Slovis (Pittsburgh), Aidan Robbins (UNLV), and Paul Maile (Utah), Keelan Marion (UConn) and Darius Lassiter (Eastern Michigan) praised Sitake’s steadiness as they sorted out their uncertain futures and decided on Provo.
Even rival Utes fans, who loathe the idea of Cougar conquests, still respect Sitake — because he lives the same standard today as he did during his nine years of coaching at Utah, albeit with a few more gray hairs.
BYU has already proven it can win the national championship and the game’s highest individual awards as a church school with an honor code and constant flux of outgoing and returning missionaries. Now the quest is to do it against a regular dose of better competition in the Big 12. The stable foundation for in-house expectation that Sitake has in his program is paramount to BYU’s success.
There is something alluring about stability. It is the carrot the Big 12 is dangling to attract another one to three teams to join them. The opposite of stability is what has the Pac-12 and ACC fearing for the worst.
Sitake and his staff have an army of new faces in fall camp, with over 60 newcomers from the transfer portal, high school or mission field. Whether it be a position group, new city or culture, each one is trying to quickly find their footing.
It seems easier to do with Sitake standing firm. It’s also completely necessary for a program, that 101 years after its first game, has a chance to make another first impression and begin again — but on a much bigger stage.
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is the studio host for “BYU Sports Nation Game Day,” “The Post Game Show,” “After Further Review,” and play-by-play announcer for BYUtv. He is also co-host of “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com.