Heading into the 2024 season, there were rumblings among college football observers that BYU head coach Kalani Sitake might be on the hot seat.
His Cougars had stumbled down the stretch in 2023, losing five of their last six games to end up 5-7 and miss out on a bowl game.
Fast forward a few months and the tone is completely different.
For much of the season, Sitake was in the conversation for national coach of the year honors as BYU won its first nine games on its way to a 10-2 season and a share of the Big 12 regular-season title.
Instead of having to worry about getting let go, Sitake had his contract officially extended, a move that was announced on Saturday.
BYU seniors Connor Pay and Tyler Batty definitely weren’t surprised.
“He deserves it, for sure,” Pay said during Monday’s press teleconference. “He’s deserved it for a long time. I’m glad they finally got it done.”
Pay has played for Sitake since 2020 and said that experience has led him to clear conclusions on Sitake’s value.
“I don’t think there is a better man to lead BYU,” Pay said. “All you have to do is spend a few minutes with him and you can just tell that he resonates everything that BYU represents. As a player, I’ve gotten to be around that leadership for the last four-and-a-half years, and have a living representation of the man I want to be one day. It’s easy to have the right desires to do what is best for the team when you have a leader like that.”
Pay applauded Sitake for his dedication to the university and promoting the ideals of BYU.
“He has turned down a lot of money and a lot of other opportunities to stay here because he loves this school and loves us as players,” Pay said. “We don’t know any details, but I hope the school is rewarding him for that loyalty and everything he has done for the program.
“We’ve had three 10-win seasons in the last five years are there is a very short list of coaches in the country who have done that and I promise you he is the lowest paid one. I’m really glad they were able to get this done and I hope he is here for decades more.”
Batty said that this group of Cougar seniors is proud of how they developed under Sitake’s direction and turned it into wins on the field.
“Each successful season that we’ve had has been a reflection of Kalani and the way he pours his heart and soul into this program,” Batty said. “He’s moving it in the right direction. I’m super-excited about that extension. It’s huge. I know that any guy who has played for Coach Kalani would also be super-excited because they know him and know the way he operates. BYU will be in good hands for the foreseeable future, which will be awesome.”
For his part, Sitake didn’t make a big deal about the extension although he did acknowledge that it had been part of a whirlwind week which included early signing day last week, the Valero Alamo Bowl invitation on Sunday and the opening of the transfer portal.
“Since our last game against Houston, there’s been a lot going on,” Sitake said. “As the head coach, obviously my contract is something I wanted to get done, so I’m happy that I’m sitting in this position where I’m going to be the coach for a long time.”
He said from a management standpoint he can now turn his attention to trying keep the coaching staff intact.
“I’m trying to find ways to keep making investments in the program so we can get our players in a better position to have success,” Sitake said. “The administration made a commitment to me that that is really important and it is high on the priority list, so we are going to be working on that. I’m looking forward to get that done as soon as possible.”
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