BYU coach Kalani Sitake has begun to tell people who he intends to remain on the college, rebuffing overtures from Penn State, sources informed ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
BYU is within the technique of placing collectively a profitable contract to maintain him and Sitake knowledgeable Penn State of his intention to stay in Provo, sources stated.
The event comes as No. 11 BYU prepares for Saturday’s Large 12 title sport in opposition to No. 5 Texas Tech, with the winner securing an automated bid to the School Soccer Playoff.
Sitake has been BYU’s head coach since 2016 and has gained greater than 65% of his video games. He led BYU to an 11-2 document in 2024, and the Cougars are 11-1 this season as they proceed a fast ascent of their third yr within the Large 12. BYU officers had been aggressive in making an attempt to retain Sitake, sources stated, and regarded retaining him the athletic division’s high precedence.
Sitake has gained no less than 10 video games in 4 of the previous six seasons at BYU. After a 2-7 mark in Large 12 play throughout this system’s transition yr in 2023, the Cougars have gone 15-3 since and recognized a long-term reply at quarterback in freshman Bear Bachmeier.
The Penn State teaching search had targeted on Sitake in current weeks, with the edges partaking in discussions concerning the job. Whereas there had been mutual curiosity – together with conversations about staffing and different particulars of a possible tenure in State School – no settlement was ever reached, and Sitake in the end elected to remain in Provo.
Penn State officers had been lively early of their teaching search, which included quite a few in-person conferences across the nation. That exercise has quieted in current weeks, sources informed Thamel, at the same time as candidates obtained new jobs and others acquired new contracts
Sitake, who performed highschool soccer in Missouri and starred at BYU earlier than signing with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001, has spent his whole teaching profession west of the Mountain Time Zone, with stops at BYU, Oregon State, Utah, Southern Utah and Jap Arizona. He’s BYU’s fourth head coach since LaVell Edwards took over this system in 1972.