In sports, the nice guys always seem to finish last. The meanest fighter gets the knockout; the most physical forward pulls down the rebound and the nastiest offensive line establishes the run — and there is no shortage of highlight reels to support it.
Kalani Sitake is an exception. A close study of how he runs the show at BYU produces takeaways that run counter to the notion that football can’t be won with kindness, honesty and patience. Those traits can be hard to find in the trenches during a spirited fourth quarter, but when it comes to getting players to Provo, they are front and center.
Sitake makes a lot of pitches to high school recruits — some listen and sign and some don’t. No matter what, the head coach maintains his mantra of integrity.
The even keel nature of how he steers BYU’s ship in today’s turbulent NIL and transfer portal waters has made his boat a place players (and their parents) want to be on.
Sometimes, it just takes a while to figure that out. For 10 of BYU’s newcomers, they previously chose to start their Division I careers somewhere else. However, after a variety of life events, they are all here and every one of them shares an admiration for Sitake.
Alvin Puefua is the most recent to re-locate after transferring from Hawaii. The other off-season additions include Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah), Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State), Tausili Akana (Texas), Andrew Gentry (Michigan), Anisi Purcell (Southern Utah), Carsen Ryan (Utah), Tiger Bachmeier (Stanford), Bear Bachmeier (Stanford) and Hunter Clegg, who signed with the Utes before his church mission.
The fact that they are all at BYU reflects Sitake’s recruiting strategy — be kind, be honest and be patient and remain that way even when they turn you down.
Sitake has long believed he might lose a kid initially, but he rarely loses him for good.
Most notably, the Nacua brothers — Samson (Utah) and Puka (Washington) — both went elsewhere out of high school. However, years later, when each sought a new environment and a chance to catch passes together, their already intact trust with Sitake made for a seamless reunion at BYU.
Samson provided leadership and grit as a grad-student in 2021 and helped the Cougars to a 10-3 record and their first win against rival Utah since 2009. Puka bedazzled defenses with 19 total touchdowns in 32 games before launching his NFL career with the Rams.
In the case of the Nacuas and others, including former five-star offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia who initially signed with Oregon, playing the long game in recruiting paid off.
For Sitake, it‘s an easy act to pull off because it isn’t one — it‘s just how he is.
The head coach, who begins his tenth season at BYU on Aug. 30 against Portland State, treats recruits and their parents the way he treats everybody else — he’s nice, he’s kind and he’s willing to wait.
In today’s college sports environment, with its thirst for instant gratification, inflated promises and NIL pitches, a trusted coach like Sitake is a coach that can get 10 players who initially turned him down or didn’t look his way at all, to not only join the Cougars, but also to fill specific needs on his roster.
Losing four starters from last year’s defensive line — Tyler Batty, Blake Mangelson, Isaiah Bagnah and John Nelson — opened a gaping hole in the Big 12’s No. 1 rated defense. The freedom of the transfer portal and the fruits of Sitake’s consistent demeanor are helping to close it.
BYU added size and experience with Puefua (6-foot-4, 325 pounds); Tanuvasa (6-foot-4, 300 pounds); Kirkland (6-foot-3, 335 pounds); Akana (6-foot-3, 235 pounds); Purcell (6-foot-3, 285 pounds); and Clegg (6-foot-4, 245 pounds). Each is expected to contribute on the defensive line.
Gentry (6-foot-8, 315 pounds) will fill the void left by First Team All-Big 12 offensive tackle Caleb Etienne. Ryan (6-foot-4, 249 pounds), who first said “No” to Sitake and “Yes” to UCLA and then said “No” to Sitake again and “Yes” to Utah, will revive the Cougars tight end position. Tiger Bachmeier (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) adds a boost to the receiver pool as a junior and his brother Bear (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) is a four-star freshman quarterback.
In the spirit of the old Wendy’s marketing gem, “Where’s the Beef?,” the Cougars now have a lot of it — and most of it will be lining up in front of a linebacker and secondary battalion that is built to defend the rare turf it took last year.
Jay Hill’s defense finished 2024 with the No. 1 defense in the Big 12 and it was ranked No. 13 nationally in total defense (308 yards per game), ranked No. 20 in scoring defense (19.6), and tied for No. 1 in interceptions (22).
It hasn’t been since 1985 that BYU returned a defense ranked at the top of their conference the previous season. In addition, last year’s Cougars performed on the national stage in a way BYU hadn’t since 2012 when Kyle Van Noy’s unit was No. 3 in total defense.
With sudden uncertainty at quarterback, the defense and special teams may be asked to do even more to keep the Cougars as contenders. BYU is fortified in those areas with returning kicker Will Ferrin and punter Sam Vander Haar and a bevy of experienced athletes, which includes the new faces on the defensive line.
The 2025 roster didn’t come together overnight. In fact, most of it has been years in the making.
In the recruiting game with these 10 additions, the head coach had to play all his cards — honesty, kindness and patience. As a result, Sitake is holding a Royal (blue) Flush.
When Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, reportedly said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again,” he was speaking to his troops before they defeated England in 1314. The same philosophy, 711 years later, fuels Sitake’s long-game approach to recruiting.
The coach may not get them at the start, but that doesn’t mean BYU won’t be where they finish.
It‘s still hard for nice guys to win, but sometimes they can go 11-2 and win back former recruits in time to go do it again.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com