ATLANTA — BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake was today named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc.
Named after legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, the Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the FBS football coach whose program represents the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity—the three pillars of Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy.
In addition to being named to the watch list for the Dodd Trophy, Sitake was previously selected as a candidate for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award and was named Midseason Big 12 Coach of the Year by College Football Network.
In his ninth year at BYU and 24th overall season as a college football coach, Sitake leads the program he once played for under legendary College Football Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards. A former Cougar running back (1994, 1997-2000), Sitake guided BYU to a 61-41 overall record during his first eight seasons (2016-23) at the helm and has led the Cougars to a 6-0 start and No. 13 national ranking in 2024.
Sitake is the first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent as well as the first former player under Edwards to be named head coach at BYU. He led the Cougars from the ranks of FBS independent to membership in the Big 12 Conference in 2023. As an independent football program, Sitake guided BYU to P5 wins over Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, USC, Utah, Washington State and Wisconsin, including a 29-9 record during the final three seasons of independence from 2020-22.
In recent years, Sitake was named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list in 2020 and also recognized as an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Finalist and George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award Semifinalist in 2020 and 2021.
The Dodd Trophy annually honors a coach whose program had a successful season on the field but also stresses the importance of academic excellence and desire to give back to the community. The nominating committee is made up of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member.
Each year, the Committee identifies a group of finalists for the Dodd Trophy who meet the rigorous standards of excellence. The ultimate winner is selected from the list of finalists through a voting process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Board.
The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.