Kalani Sitake is a dreamer. As a kid, he wanted to be a Cougar. As a Cougar, he wanted to be a coach and as a head coach, Sitake is hours away from kicking off his 10th season — all in his happy place — BYU.
“Oh yeah, this is like — nobody pinch me!” Sitake told BYUtv’s “GameDay” pregame show. “I’m loving it. I’m a BYU fan. I grew up loving BYU. I got to play for the legend LaVell Edwards and then I got to be in the coaching profession just like he did.
“I get to come home and be the head coach and lead a team with a culture that LaVell gave me as a player and then going to a stadium that is named after him. It’s all emotional. It’s all good emotions. I just want to do LaVell proud and make sure the fans know how much we love and appreciate them.”
Sitake is on quite a ride. In the last nine months, his Cougars routed No. 23 Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl in front of the largest television audience to watch any BYU sporting event. The Cougars’ 11-2 record earned a No. 13 ranking in the final AP top-25 poll.
The coach and his staff followed up their first-place regular season tie in the Big 12 by signing the highest-rated recruiting class in program history (No. 19) that included five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons and four-star tight end Brock Harris.
As the Cougars approach kickoff Saturday, they are No. 23 in the preseason coaches’ poll and just outside the AP top 25.
“I think we are in a good spot because we have worked really hard to get here – the players, support staff, everybody involved,” Sitake said. “Now it’s whether we can capitalize on our opportunities. We have one this weekend.”
Not everything was dreamy in the offseason, especially with BYU’s quarterback situation. Jake Retzlaff’s off-the-field trouble triggered his departure to Tulane. The move opened the door for Bear Bachmeier to become the first true freshman to start a season opener for the Cougars.
Transitioning on short notice from a seasoned college senior (Retzlaff) to a kid who just finished high school (Bachmeier) would be a nightmare scenario for most programs — but not Sitake. He smiles confidently as he ponders the possibilities.
“I just need him to be the best version of himself,” Sitake said. “He needs to rely on the 10 other teammates on the field and there is going to be great support for him on the sideline. We’ve given him opportunities to do some things in scrimmages, and he’s shown that we can trust him.”
Bachmeier and Sitake will hit milestones against Portland State (6 p.m., ESPN+). For the coach, it’s 10 years on the job. For the teenager, it’s the first time he will run out of a tunnel to fireworks and the thunderous roar of 60,000-plus fans who can’t wait to see him play.
For both, it’s the kind of stuff dreams are made of.
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