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When BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame mid-January, he was a stone’s throw away from where he grew up in Laie on the north shore of the island of Oahu. It was a symbolic moment for the first-ever Division I head coach of Tongan descent as he stood there with his father and siblings, following a remarkable turnaround season for him as a coach.
In this piece, Tad Walch includes comments from BYU university President Shane Reese, on the background of Sitake and his father Tom and their roots as Cougar fans.
This past week, Sitake got commitments from a pair of recruits, Landan Goff and Jordyn Criss, for the Class of 2025 and made an offer to Folsom High offensive lineman Vlad Dyakonov, teammate of the No. 2-rated quarterback in the country Ryder Lyons. This was a significant move because Lyons, who had USC atop his offer list of 30-plus schools, had requested BYU coaches to look at some of his teammates who had accompanied him on a trip to Provo this past fall. If Lyons, Class of 2026, signs with the Cougars, word on the street is tight end Brock Harris, one of the top recruits in Utah, would likely follow.
BYU’s 11-2 season and ranking as high as No. 6 this past year have elevated Sitake and his program to a new level of interest for recruits.
Question of the Week
It’s great to be Kalani Sitake these days. Explain why Sitake is enjoying a higher profile today than a year ago.
Jay Drew: Last year at this time, Sitake was facing a bit of an uncertain future. The Cougars went 2-7 in their first season in the Big 12, 5-7 overall, and the big reason why was they were dominated in the trenches by other Power Five conference teams. They also didn’t have a dependable quarterback, after Jake Retzlaff looked unqualified to lead the offense and prone to turning the ball over.
What a difference a year makes. BYU turned in one of its best seasons ever, going 11-2 and winning the Alamo Bowl, and Sitake got a long-term contract extension. That’s quite a turnaround.
So yes, it is good to be Kalani Sitake these days. The coach was introduced at halftime of the BYU-Cincinnati basketball game last Saturday at the Marriott Center, and received a standing ovation as he danced and showed off the Alamo Bowl trophy.
Meanwhile, chants of B-Y-Jew rang down from the ROC as Retzlaff took the microphone and thanked BYU fans for their support and promised another big season in 2025. Sitake is riding high, and for good reason. Recruiting is on an upswing, and the future looks bright as long as Sitake is in Provo.
Dick Harmon: Kalani Sitake is gliding on roller skates right now. His extension allowed him to retain his staff and by retaining defensive coordinator Jay Hill, Aaron Roderick and others, he was able to hit the recruiting trail with some momentum and key salesmen to sell his program.
I am told Sitake and staff have made inroads with Folsom QB Ryder Lyons and others. He wasn’t in a position to have that said a year ago coming off a five-win season. Fact is, BYU had a better season than USC and Utah and winning is a key pillar with a lot of recruits, especially Latter-day Saint kids looking for reasons to look harder at BYU.
This recent success has also allowed Sitake to take advantage of NIL’s upward movement with his program. With his extension, he was able to hire football general manager Dave George, who will coordinate not only NIL but his roster and make BYU’s approach and organization more astute to modern trends with the NCAA.
A year ago, BYU began the offseason with little momentum after winning just five games. When projections came out during the summer, he got very little respect, as did his Cougars. This is a far cry from where BYU stands today heading into winter workouts and Signing Day the first week of February. By starting the season ranked in the preseason Top 25, perhaps as high as No. 13 to 15, BYU’s chance to find traction in the CFP is significant.
Cougar tales
Wins over Colorado and Cincinnati built a solid foundation for Kevin Young’s team heading into Tuesday’s game with Baylor in the Marriott Center. In this piece by Dave McCann, he explains some of the reasons for optimism after losses to TCU and Utah earlier in the month.
Jay Drew examines the progress of freshmen Kanon Catchings and Egor Demin in this piece. Jake Retzlaff had some fun on a comedy night, addressing his Jewish heritage and the Utah rivalry.
Learn about a budding slugger in BYU’s softball program in this story by Dave McCann.
From the archives
From the X-verse
Extra points
Dybantsa named McDonald’s All-American (KSLsports)
BYU football recognized during hoops halftime (KSLsports)
Sitake visits QB Ryder Lyons (S.I.com)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
I have held shared concerns with Demin and Catchings, and how that could impact incoming recruits given recent performances and games.
However, the last two games have confirmed and demonstrated that Young not only has an eye for NBA talent and potential, he knows how to coach that talent and potential to fulfill his commitment to those players, which in turn will bolster recruiting. Young is likewise figuring out the college game, his starting and bench rotations to keep players engaged and fulfilling player development as is being promised.
Demin and Catchings are responding to the speed, physicality and athleticism of the DI college game based on the last two games.
Elijah Crawford came in on the tail of the game and did some impressive things while out there, which likewise demonstrates development is happening under Young as advertised.
Baylor will be a great test to see if the progress so far can be validated. Steep hill to climb in the Big 12, but improvement is coming along.
— Jayson Meline
I may be the only poster that wants the Ags, Utes and Cougs to be successful. It’s beyond me how this writer wants us to believe that “how” the Y won vs. Colorado and Cincinnati indicates ANOTHER turnaround ... neither of those teams can guard a door knob ... not real difficult to drain 3s with no defender near ... Apparently those preseason six gimmies didn’t do ANYTHING to prepare the Y, or any team, for quality competition ... Baylor played a bunch of gimmies but they also played five ranked teams coming out with a 2-3 record ... that prepares a team to compete vs. quality competition.
— Zyme
Up next
- Jan. 29 | 7 p.m. | Women’s basketball | Colorado | @ Provo
- Jan. 30 | 10:30 a.m. | Swimming | Air Force | @ Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Jan. 31 | 10 a.m. | Women’s track and field | John Thomas Terrier Classic | @ Boston
- Jan. 31 | 2 p.m. | Men’s tennis | Portland State | @ Portland
- Jan. 31| 1 p.m. | Women’s tennis | Washington State | @ Pullman, Washington
- Jan. 31 | 7 p.m. | Women’s gymnastics | BYU Tri Meet | @ Provo
- Jan. 31| 7 p.m. | Men’s volleyball | Hawaii | @ Provo
- Feb. 1 | 6:30 p.m. | Women’s basketball | ASU | @ Tempe, Arizona
- Feb. 1 | 2 p.m. | Men’s basketball | UCF | @ Orlando, Florida