PROVO, Utah – BYU Director of Athletics Brian Santiago has announced that the university and head coach Kalani Sitake have agreed to a long-term contract extension that will keep Sitake at the helm of the BYU football program.
“We are excited to announce a long-term agreement to extend Kalani Sitake as BYU’s head football coach,” Santiago said. “He is a proven leader, and we are grateful he is once again choosing BYU. His legacy of building a championship program the BYU way will continue on. He is one of the best people in the business. We are excited to continue to ride the wave of positive momentum with him.”
Sitake has led the Cougars to back-to-back seasons of 11 wins for the first time since 2006 and 2007. BYU’s 22-3 record (.880 win percentage) over the past two seasons ranks No. 4 overall in college football, with only Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana having a better winning percentage.
Under Sitake, BYU is 83-44 since 2016 (.654), with his 83 victories ranking No. 17 nationally during his tenure. The Cougars have won double-digit games under Sitake’s leadership in four of the past six seasons.
“I am humbled and full of gratitude for the outpouring of love from BYU fans and the trust and support provided to our football program by our university leadership,” Sitake said. “I’m thankful to President Shane Reese, Vice President Keith Vorkink and our Athletic Director Brian Santiago and his leadership team for the confidence they continue to place in me to lead our program and to take care of our players, coaches and staff. This is good for the stability and future of BYU football. I’m excited about our future.”
Since joining the Big 12 in 2023, BYU has tied for the best record in the conference in both 2024 (7-2) and 2025, earning a place in the Big 12 Conference Championship game after an 8-1 league record this season.
Sitake was named the 2024 AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year, a finalist for AFCA National Coach of the Year in 2024 and a semifinalist for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award. This season he has again been named a semifinalist for the Munger Award honoring the most outstanding coach.
Since taking over the program in 2016, Sitake guided BYU from the ranks of FBS independence to membership in the Big 12 Conference. In the independence era, Sitake helped the Cougars achieve notable wins over Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State, USC, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Arizona State, Arizona, Utah, Washington State and Baylor, among others. Posting a 29-9 record during BYU’s final three seasons of independence from 2020-2022, Sitake was named an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Finalist and George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award Semifinalist in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Sitake has also championed a program culture founded on love and learning, being humble and hungry. His emphasis on the overall development of his players on and off the field has included BYU’s Built4Life career development program, which is designed to support BYU student-athletes in developing critical life skills, facilitating professional development opportunities and connecting classroom learning directly to relevant employment opportunities. Additionally, Sitake has helped mentor 33 NFL Draft picks during his overall 24-year coaching career, including 13 Cougars since becoming the head coach.
As BYU’s 14th head coach, Sitake is just the fourth to lead the BYU football program since 1972 when Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards took the helm. Under those four coaches—Edwards, Gary Crowton, Bronco Mendenhall and Sitake—BYU ranks No. 8 in total wins since 1972 with 465. Sitake, who is the first former player under Edwards to serve as BYU’s head coach, has led the Cougars to a 4-2 bowl record entering this year’s postseason matchups, which will be announced Sunday.
A former Cougar fullback, Sitake first came to BYU as a player in 1994 before serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oakland, California. After returning and redshirting in 1997, Sitake was a three-year starter at fullback for the Cougars from 1998-2000. A team captain as a senior, Sitake’s last game as a player was also the last game coached by the legendary Edwards, who Sitake credits as his coaching mentor.
Born in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and raised in Laie, Hawai’i and Provo, Utah, Sitake is the nation’s first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent. Last year, Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Sitake graduated from BYU in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He and his wife Timberly have four children.