Kalani Sitake isn’t going anywhere.
BYU and its head football coach have agreed to a new long-term contract extension, the school announced Tuesday evening.
This extension comes as Sitake’s name was linked to Penn State’s head coaching vacancy, with multiple national outlets reporting Monday that Sitake was the Nittany Lions’ “top target” and “focus” of their coaching search.
But after negotiations with both Penn State and BYU, Sitake will instead remain with the Provo program he once played for and has now piloted for the past decade.
“We are excited to announce a long-term agreement to extend Kalani Sitake as BYU’s head football coach,” BYU athletic director Brian Santiago said in a statement. “He is a proven leader, and we are grateful he is once again choosing BYU. His legacy of building a championship program the BYU way will continue on.
“He is one of the best people in the business. We are excited to continue to ride the wave of positive momentum with him.”
Since taking over for Bronco Mendenhall in 2015, Sitake has posted an 83-44 record at BYU with four 10-win seasons and five bowl victories, including last year’s 36-14 Alamo Bowl blowout of Colorado.
Additionally, the Cougars have had three ranked finishes under Sitake, with 2025 likely to be the fourth.
Sitake is the third-winningest head coach in school history, only trailing the legendary LaVell Edwards — who Sitake played for as a fullback and team captain — and Mendenhall.
Since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023, Sitake has led BYU to a 27-10 record, including a 22-3 stretch over the past two campaigns.
“I am humbled and full of gratitude for the outpouring of love from BYU fans and the trust and support provided to our football program by our university leadership,” Sitake said in a statement. “I’m thankful to President Shane Reese, Vice President Keith Vorkink and our Athletic Director Brian Santiago and his leadership team for the confidence they continue to place in me to lead our program and to take care of our players, coaches and staff. This is good for the stability and future of BYU football. I’m excited about our future.”
This is the fifth contract extension Sitake has received from BYU, having also been re-upped in 2019, twice in 2021, 2024 and now 2025.
With Sitake’s status now seemingly firm, BYU will head to Arlington, Texas, to face Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game this Saturday, where a College Football Playoff berth is on the line for the Cougars.
BYU is holding a press conference at 5:30 p.m. MST on Tuesday to discuss Sitake’s extension further. The press conference can be viewed here.
