1 / 3

BYU Coach Kalani Sitake expressed a lot of appreciation to his family, the BYU Administration and the Cougar faithful during Tuesday's press conference. December 2, 2025

Courtesy BYU Photo

2 / 3

BYU players celebrate with Kalani Sitake upon hearing he'll stay with the program following Tuesday's practice session

Courtesy BYU Photo

3 / 3

BYU Athletic Director Brian Santiago together with BYU Coach Kalani Sitake during Tuesday's press conference. December 2, 2025

Courtesy BYU Photo

❮ ❯

BYU’s Kalani Sitake was back to being himself during Tuesday’s press conference where it was announced he’ll remain BYU’s head coach after being granted a hefty pay raise along with other financial commitments made to the Cougar football program.

Sitake was poignant, genuinely funny, but most of all extraordinarily relatable in a way few coaches, let alone people, can manage during his joint press conference held with BYU Athletic Director Brian Santiago. Sure, it’s easy to be all those things after landing the deal he did in order to continue coaching at his preferred program for many years to come, but it also gives a window into why Sitake was able to land the deal in the first place.

Sure, Sitake has taken the football team to new heights and a gleaming 22-3 record over the past two seasons, but he’s done as much while embodying the stated mission of Cougar Athletics, perhaps more so than any coach since LaVell Edwards.

There were many highlights during the nearly half hour press conference, but the two most memorable moments were when Sitake was overcome with emotion when thanking his family and then a little later expressing his gratitude for the BYU fanbase. Most anyone can relate to great emotion expressed when talking about one’s family, sure, but the equal emotion expressed by Sitake when thinking about random fans, most of whom he doesn’t know personally, was extraordinary.

“Finally I just want to express all my love to the fans,” Sitake said before pausing several seconds to fight back tears. “My wife said that the last day or so was probably one of her favorites…She called it a love bomb from all the fans. It’s hard to leave when you have something so special and you have amazing people that support us. So I’m just grateful that I can be around the amazing fans…I don’t know how you can leave that. I don’t know how you can walk away from that.”

Sitake went on to share stories of outward overtures he’s seen from fans in recent days pointed at keeping him in Provo. The most notable example shared was of a BYU student who waited by Sitake’s parking space for up to two hours with a sign encouraging him to stay. True to form, Sitake took time to get to know the young man while volunteering to take some photos with him.

The gratitude is absolutely genuine and it underscores Sitake’s true strength as a football coach, which is his superior emotional intelligence. Everyone who comes across him can feel it, including myself in having several opportunities to talk with him, whether it be after a football practice in my current capacity or the first time I ever met him personally about 15 years ago during an offseason football camp.

I remember the occasion well, and was immediately struck by Sitake’s complete genuine and personable manner that just about anyone and everyone who crosses paths with him feels. It was during the All-Poly camp back in 2010, and I was then working as Co-Publisher of a fan website called totalbluesports.com that covered BYU recruiting. Sitake was a firmly established assistant coach for Utah at the time, yet he was the one who approached me and somehow knew my name while making me feel completely welcome and important, when the reality was that I was probably the least important person at the entire venue.

But that’s who Sitake does. It’s his strength and he’s been able to parlay that strength into taking BYU football to new heights while representing exactly what the program is and should be better than any Cougar coach I can think of, and perhaps even better than LaVell Edwards.

“What’s been most impressive throughout this process is what Kalani really is all about,” Santiago said. “This is a great football coach, but this is one of the great people on Planet Earth. He’s committed to everything that’s good. He’s committed to not only running a first class football program, but he’s committed to his staff and everyone in the building. He cares about everyone involved with this football program. Maybe most importantly, he’s all in for his players.”

Those same players took to the microphone, specifically senior receiver Chase Roberts and senior safety Tanner Wall following Sitake and Santiago’s interview session.

“If he would have left that would have been super sad,” Roberts said. “I probably would have gone home and cried in my bed, and I’m not even coming back after this year. That shows the character of Kalani and how much we care about this program, and knowing what he’s done in the past and what we’ve been able…To have that taken away and start new would be really, really hard…It’s not just about football. It’s about so much more.”

“He’s changed the trajectory of our lives,” Wall added. “He’s impacted our lives as football players, but he’s a leader of men, and that’s why I think he’s the perfect man for the job…(We’ve) been impacted for good because of his leadership.”

Fortunately for all involved, Sitake will continue to change BYU player’s lives, and many others for many years to come.