Kalani Sitake has unexpectedly become one of the names floating around Penn State’s coaching vacancy, a turn that says as much about his rising profile as it does about the unusual direction of the Nittany Lions’ search. The current BYU coach emerged as a candidate over the weekend as Penn State has been searching for a replacement for nearly a month and a half after firing James Franklin on Oct. 12 and, according to 247Sports’ Blair Angulo, BYU called a surprise team meeting on Monday afternoon.
Time is amazing. Sitake has No. 11 BYU preparing for one of the biggest games in program history – the Big 12 Championship Game against No. 5 Texas Tech A College Football Playoff bid is at stake Saturday. And while he declined to elaborate when asked directly about the Penn State job on Monday, Sitake acknowledged the need to talk to his players about outside noise.
“They kept telling me, ‘Hey, this is a good sign that things are going well for us,'” Sitake said, via The Deseret News. “But I will say it’s not about me. What I’ve asked my team to do is focus on what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Will Kalani Sitake be a fit at Penn State?
Sitake, who was hired at BYU in 2016, has steadily built the Cougars into one of the most consistent programs in the West. With BYU chasing a championship, even the swirling attention shows why Sitake’s potential fit at Penn State is such an interesting debate. On the one hand, he checks many boxes: stability, experience and a winning track record. The Cougars’ 56–19 (.747) record since the 2020 season ranks as the seventh-best mark among FBS programs over that span, behind only Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame and Michigan.
Penn State’s status in the Big Ten would provide greater resources and access to the College Football Playoff. Sitake, on the other hand, is widely viewed as a BYU lifer who is as culturally and personally connected to the program as few Power Four coaches are at their schools. He played at BYU under LaVell Edwards and is deeply connected to its identity as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
His tenure mirrors that of consultant Kyle Whittingham at Utah – another coach often floated for bigger jobs but long considered immovable. BYU’s success only reinforces that image. Sitake signed an extension last December and was promoted to an expanded role within the athletic department.
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Penn State’s mysterious coaching search
Sitake’s candidacy comes as Penn State’s search has been mostly quiet and lasted much longer than expected. The Nittany Lions were one of the first Power Four programs to officiate this cycle, but Franklin’s early dismissal did not lead to an early appointment. Several reported targets, including Indiana’s Kurt Cignetti, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lee, have signed extensions, while James Madison’s Bob Chesney, a Pennsylvania native, has also signed an extension. Hoping to get a jump on UCLAThe field of candidates at Penn State is shrinking after filling several Power Four vacancies over the weekend.
That dynamism has raised Sitake’s profile in State College, even if he downplayed it in Provo. Meanwhile, BYU is preparing for the biggest stage it has played on since joining the Big 12 in 2023. And as long as the Cougars remain in championship mode, Sitake is determined to make sure the distractions stay out.
“We’re trying to finish the season off on the right note, it’s on us to be at our best to play against Texas Tech,” Sitake said. “So as we go through this week and go through preparation, I also want them to live all the moments and have a great experience and not waste a moment thinking about anything else. … It’s a big distraction, let’s be honest. But you know, right now we need to focus on making sure we’re giving us our best shot in this game against Texas Tech.”
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