Sources: Kalani Sitake intends to continue as head coach at BYU

BYU coach Kalani Sitake has begun informing people he intends to stay at the school, rejecting offers from Penn State, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Sources said BYU is in the process of negotiating a lucrative contract to retain him and Sitake has informed Penn State of his intention to remain in Provo.

The development comes as No. 11 BYU prepares for Saturday’s Big 12 title game against No. 5 Texas Tech, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.

Sitake has been the head coach of BYU since 2016 and has won over 65% of his games. He led BYU to an 11-2 record in 2024, and the Cougars are 11-1 this season as they head into their third year in the Big 12. BYU officials were aggressive in trying to retain Sitake, sources said, and considered retaining him the athletic department’s top priority.

Sitake has won at least 10 games in four of the last six seasons at BYU. After a 2-7 mark in Big 12 play during the program’s transition year in 2023, the Cougars have gone 15-3 and have identified a long-term answer in freshman Bear Bachmeier at quarterback.

The Penn State coaching search has focused attention on Sitake in recent weeks, with both sides engaged in discussions about the job. While there was mutual interest – including negotiations about staffing and other details of a possible tenure at the State College – no agreement was ever reached, and Sitake ultimately chose to remain in Provo.

Penn State officials were active early in their coaching search, which included numerous in-person meetings across the country. Sources told Thamel that this activity has calmed down in recent weeks, even as candidates found new jobs and others received new contracts.

Sitake, who played high school football at Missouri and starred at BYU before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001, has spent his entire coaching career west of the Mountain Time Zone, with stops at BYU, Oregon State, Utah, Southern Utah and eastern Arizona. He is BYU’s fourth head coach since LaVell Edwards took over the program in 1972.