1 / 6

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake leads the band in the fight song after the 59-14 Cougar win over Idaho State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 6 ,2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

2 / 6

BYU linebacker Payton Wilgar laughs as Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake conducts practice on Friday, August 6, 2021.

BYU Courtesy Photo

3 / 6

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake takes a selfie with some Cougar fans after a 66-49 victory against Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

4 / 6

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake celebrates after the 34-20 Cougar win over Utah State at Maverik Stadium in Logan on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 (Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)

Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

5 / 6

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake high-fives fans after the 34-17 Cougar win over Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

6 / 6

BYU football coach Kalani Sitake celebrates on the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium after a 27-17 victory against Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

Jaren Wilkey/BYU

❮ ❯

After seeing him lead the football team to two straight stellar seasons, BYU didn’t want to see head coach Kalani Sitake get away.

Can you blame them?

Sitake had recently been mentioned as a possible candidate for other jobs, including at Oregon, but it was BYU that announced Friday that it had extended Sitake’s contract to 2027.

“We have this amazing combination of character and football acumen and love and mentoring and leadership that we feel is super important for our program, our university and all of Cougar nation,” BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe said during a press conference on Friday. “I feel like Kalani has made an incredible commitment to BYU football. He’s made a commitment to the student athletes. He’s made a commitment to his staff. He’s made a commitment to Cougar nation. You can see and feel how Kalani has galvanized everybody around Cougar nation to incredible heights where everybody is feeling great about the Cougars and the way they play the ball.

“So thus, we felt that it was imperative and very important that we made that same commitment back to him. Today, I’m happy to say that we have an unprecedented contract with Kalani and BYU football that will keep him here for years to come. ”

It was the second time in three-and-a-half months that BYU had affirmed how important it was to keep Sitake doing the job he is doing (a contract extension through 2025 was announced at the end of August).

“I just want to express my appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity to be head coach here at BYU football,” Sitake said. “More than anything my time here, being around such wonderful people, it’s been a pleasure for me. I’ve learned quite a bit and I’ve grown quite a bit. It’s been a wonderful experience for me, going throughout the past six years of progress and being able to focus on a culture of love and learning but also to feel the love and appreciation I have from them.”

Holmoe called the extension “unprecedented” but not because of the dollar amount (which BYU doesn’t disclose anyway). He said it was because of the breadth of the discussions that went into the conversation.

“The program starts with Kalani but it goes deeper than that,” Holmoe said. “There are so many people that are involved in the success of this program. When we started talking about the future with Kalani, Kalani wanted to start with them. He didn’t want to start with himself.”

Holmoe explained that the focus is on getting the program ready for the next step, which is joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

“We’re going to do the things that we need to to bring BYU football into this modern age,” Holmoe said. “It’s going to take a lot. It’s going to take a concerted effort between our administration, BYU athletics, BYU football, Kalani and the staff. We’re all in this together.”

Holmoe stated that funds will be allocated for the assistant coaches and staff members as well as for Sitake to keep the Cougars viable.

“It’s not part of Kalani’s deal but part of our vision and how we put it together was that they’re separate pieces that are moving forward,” Holmoe said. “I would say that the contracts for the assistant coaches are coming together as we speak. So they’ll all be done and renewed for January 1.”

It’s an interesting challenge for Holmoe and Sitake because the stakes appear to have been raised with regards to the market value of successful college football coaches.

BYU, on the other hand, has different priorities.

The money aspect still is important and the Cougars have to manage that, according to Holmoe.

“There are budget issues that come into play,” Holmoe said. “We just talked about them. We talked about where we can allocate our money, where we should and where we should invest it. We know that we needed to make a bigger commitment because we are all on the same page as what it’s going to take to be successful in the Big 12. It’ll be tough. It’s going to be a way tougher initiative than we’ve been involved with in the past. We’ve got to up the ante, not necessarily just salary wise, but just in how we know that we’re doing the right things with the right people in the right way.”

Cougar sophomore quarterback Jaren Hall and sophomore Puka Nacua said the BYU players were thrilled to hear the news.

“It was exciting, man,” Hall said. “We were all jumping up and down after practice, just super-excited and super-happy for Kalani. I think he’s earned it with all the work he’s put in here and all that he stands for, for us as players and as a university here at BYU.”

Nacua said: “It was pretty dope just to hear that and then for the the entire staff. It’s something that we all enjoy and are excited for in the long term.”