Kalani Sitake introductory press conference | VIDEO
Reactions & behind the scenes | VIDEO
Tom Holmoe opening statement:
It’s a momentous occasion today to bring Kalani Sitake in as the new football coach at BYU, and I am so excited for this day to be able to name a new football coach that has been a player in this program and that understands and knows BYU football.
It has been an incredible experience today to see the boys back – so many of our players are here in the room today to welcome back Kalani and to bring back that BYU football pride. We’re so excited for this man. He’s a tremendous football coach, but I’ve known him for a long time, and each and every time that I see him the one thing that comes out that’s most apparent is humility. He’s a great man, and we have young men in this football program, and we’re so excited to be able to put Kalani with these young men.
BYU is a great, great place. Having played football here myself, with him, we see eye-to-eye. We haven’t been together many days, and we talk about things as if we were teammates in the same backfield. So I look forward to the opportunity to be with Kalani and look forward to the future of the BYU football program.
This is a leader right here. In talking with him, to listen to the way that he communicates with players is so exciting. In the short time that we’ve been together, since he’s been named the coach, it’s been great to see him on the phone talking to recruits already! This is his thing – and to be able to be talking with our players.
Today, when we walked into the building, there were a few people around – because school is out, there are no players around, but there were a few people that were in the building, just trying to stay warm. When he introduced himself he said ‘I’m Kalani, not Coach Sitake.’ And people looked up at him like, ‘I don’t know who that guy is, but I like him.’ And I do too. So with out any further ado, I’d like to introduce Kalani Sitake.
Kalani Sitake opening statement:
Thank you. It’s great to be back. I’ve enjoyed my journey the last 15 years and it’s great to be back home.
Before I start I’d like to thank President Worthen and Tom Holmoe for believing in me and sharing my vision in this program for BYU. This is overwhelming for me. I feel the love and support from so many different people and I’m honored to be in this position. It’s humbling for me, but I am excited about it and passionate about the opportunity.
I’m looking forward to – we have a lot of really good, talented, driven, outstanding young men on this team and I’m looking forward to meet with every one of them and building my relationship with them. It’s about them. I know I might have the role of head coach, but it’s really about those players – the young men.
Being one of them myself in the past, with great people – I see a lot of great former teammates, some brothers, here with me – I know the importance of a good coaching staff. Being able to learn from some great men like LaVell Edwards and his coaching staff and being able to share that family atmosphere that we had when I played, that’s what I know and that’s what I plan to do here at BYU.
I’m very grateful and honored to be in this position. I wouldn’t be able to do it without people that have influenced my life and my career, and that’s everybody. I mean, I am the product of a lot of sacrifice from so many different people raising me as a BYU fan when I was young, supporting me when I was a player at BYU and also afterwards in my career. Those people are family to me, and I look forward to getting to know more people, getting to embrace the past that I know and also embrace the current, and work altogether – one direction – with this team and with this fan base, Cougar Nation. I’m excited.
I’m looking forward to that, and I wouldn’t be able to do all these things if it weren’t for the support of my family who raised me the right way: my parents, my siblings, I have a bunch of cousins too – all my cousins official and unofficial – thank you. I’m just proud to be a part of this family; I’ve never left. I’ve always been a part of BYU, always bled blue, but I’ve learned a lot of things along the way and I’ve met some great people. I look forward to bringing my experiences the last fifteen years and establishing a program where these young men can thrive and experience a lot of the things that I had back in my time. Thank you.
Media Q and A
Tom Holmoe
Can you talk about the process of finding Kalani as your head coach?
The process began, as I mentioned earlier in the week, with talking to as many of the premier LDS coaches, whether they were head coaches or assistant coaches or coordinators. Through that process I was able to understand a lot about what they had to give and how they would see the program. I’m not really doing this throughout the last couple years–I sometimes get a feeling about how it is from our fans. But it was really interesting to see how it felt from legitimate coaches in the profession that were LDS and that watch the program like Kalani. So from that process I was able to learn things that I didn’t know. The process kind of distilled through. I’m not going to talk about who I talked to or what we talked about, but the most important thing is that this guy sitting right here is our head coach. That’s what it comes down to. Some of the things I’ve learned, (Kalani and I) have already talked about them the last couple days–how are we going to address this? We start talking to each other and having a conversation and he’s got great ideas. They’re different. They’re different than the way we’ve done things in the past. We’re just going to go to work—we’ve already started going to work. We’re going to continue down that line and work out the pathway to the future.
This is a new era in BYU football. It’s a dawning of a new day in BYU football. Whenever you start with a new head coach, things change. There are some things in this program that will remain the same. There are some things that he grew up on being a football fan, being a football player at BYU and being a graduate assistant at BYU coach. So he’s been in a lot of capacities here. Some of those things we’ll bring back. Some of them have been a common thread from LaVell all the way through to Kalani. And we’re not going to throw everything out and start over. There’s some richness in this program. We’re going to keep that and add to it.
On the enhancement of the hiring process for coaches and staff
Speaking with Kalani, as we discussed this job that was one of the things that we spent a lot of time on. Its really, critically important that you get the right guys on that staff. Part of the reason that Kalani is the head coach, is because we need to be able to put guys around him, and that’s what he’s telling me. He’s already been pulling on my sleeve and we’ve had great discussions about it. We feel good about the direction that we’re going. There have been daily, multiple conversations about what we can do and where we can go and how we can do it and I feel good about that.
On concerns of hiring a young coach
Obviously there’s a whole realm of possibilities if you’re looking at an open job, say its not BYU. But when its BYU there’s a narrower pool of candidates. We’re not going to have that opportunity to look at guys in the business for a long, long time. There are many coaches that I’ve known throughout the years, I’ve had incredible experiences being around first year assistant coaches, coordinators and head coaches. I know how difficult it is because I was a first year head coach without having that experience and I didn’t really do well. So that’s really a benefit for Kalani, because I can sit with him and we can talk about the things that will be coming his way that he will be seeing and that will be difficult for the first time. So yeah, I was aware of that and the pros and cons. Having to do with anybody, his pros far outweighed the cons and that number of an age really is a number, 40 years old. I loved what he said, if we put a label on age then most people in this room wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what they have if people had told them you can’t do this because you’re too young, you’re too short, you can’t shoot. In athletics, you just go for it and I feel that the qualities, leadership, his personality and the way that he loves kids- all of those things are going to give him an advantage where there may be some difficulties or challenges with some of the things that everybody is aware of. You have to learn from experience, there will be some hills and some valleys along the way and he and his staff, me and my staff and all of Cougar Nation will lift him up. These brothers will be there for him. They’re already lining up to buoy him up and there’ll be a lot of people to help take away those issues.
What’s the journey been like for you over the last two and a half weeks?
Before I start that, I need to thank my most important assistant coach and that’s my wife Timberly and my three children. I wouldn’t be anywhere without their support and a lot of sacrifice.
The process has been really exciting for me and my family. I am very thankful to my wife and our children and my family. It’s been awesome. I think that my relationship with Tom has been great. We’ve been able to communicate throughout this time. I enjoyed every part of it and I’m thankful for the way it (last couple weeks) ended. Just to be in the mix with a lot of different names that are out there, I’m excited to be here. I’m a BYU guy so this is exciting for me and my family and all my brothers in the room
How’s the process of assembling your staff going? What kind of offense and defense will you run?
We’re going to have a staff that’s going to be able to recruit. We’re going to be able to be in line with myself and Tom and how we think about and what is the best for these players. I can’t give you any names or anything, but we’ve been working on establishing a staff right now. We’re looking forward to getting the right guys who know exactly what we’re about here at BYU. It’s going to be a longer process than right now.
What do you think you’ll bring to BYU in recruiting that maybe it hasn’t had in the past?
I recruit. That’s part of a coach’s job is to recruit. Recruiting is everything in football, but it’s important to recruit good young men who fit what we’re trying to accomplish here at BYU. Being through that and living the BYU life when I was a player and student-athlete, I think I give some credibility for what’s out there. We have a lot of good young men who have graduated and played football at BYU that are living proof and walking advertisements for what you can get from BYU, and I look forward to working on recruiting.
When you left BYU as a player, was it always in the back of your head that ‘if I could become BYU’s head coach, I will have arrived’?
I was doing that when I was 8 years old. I think it’s important that I was able to voice my opinion and say ‘Why don’t they give the ball to Lakei a little more? Vai Sikahema should do more than this. Leon White, I like him blitzing a lot.’ So I know all the names and the guys. I grew up a BYU fan so I was voicing my opinion from day one. I think that everybody that bleeds blue, that’s how you live. Whether you’re a football player or not, you want to be involved with it. So my job isn’t to tell them what to do, because I was one of those guys who was having some criticism. My job is to make sure that they rise and shout and that they’re cheering.
I’m going to work together with our players. The important part is to be entertaining, but there’s a lot of things we can learn along the way and a lot of things that I learned when I was a player here. Most of it growing with what we got at BYU.
Can you cite three examples of things you consider to be the top three priorities of your administration?
If I asked you, is it more important to be a father or a son or a husband, it’s hard to dictate which one is most important. So my job is to expect our guys and demand them to be excellent at everything. I think if we live in excellence, it all reflects on what you do. It’s hard to prioritize time. Because if that was the case, then some of us would be more inclined with Candy Crush and things like that than the time we spend with our families. So for me, I want to be great in everything. With these players I want to be great in everything. I think that if you strive to do that, the rest will follow.
BYU has had a tradition of a high-powered offense. How will the offense look under your staff?
We’re going to be a balanced team. We’re going to run the ball and we’re going to throw the ball and try not to punt as much on offense. On defense we’re going to be aggressive and that’s what we’re going to hang our hat on. I can’t go into any more than that. I know that we need to establish the line of scrimmage, and we need to own the trenches. That’s what we’re going to try to do as we piece together our identity, but we want to be well-balanced on offense and aggressive on defense.
Thoughts on Independence and the challenges that come with it?
I’ve watched Tom put together the schedule as an Independent school and program, and I’ve been really impressed with the schedule that we have. So the opportunity that we have as a team to go against the opponents that we have on our schedule this year–I’m fired up. If we keep getting some tough opponents like we have, keep working the way that I’ve seen Tom work on the schedule, then yeah, let’s do it.
On what his head coaching responsibilities will be
That’s still being worked out. I’ve bee a defensive minded coach that last decade or so. If you’re a great fan, you know that I played on the offensive side as a fullback, not in the spotlight a lot, but I have an offensive mind and I learn offensively, but I think it helped me as a defensive coordinator and a defensive coach. I plan on being on both sides and being able to see how we establish our staff and what we can work with as far as who’s going to be making play calls and things like that. That will be worked out in the next little bit. My goal is to get the best recruiters out there first and guys that can help our young men in the program right now.
On the Cougars performance in the Las Vegas Bowl
I was impressed with the fight in our young men. Just the drive they had and how they turned the momentum of the game, it was impressive. I was just hoping that everyone could stay healthy during that time. I thought it was an entertaining game, those games are proof that you’re never out of it and they proved that. It was really fun to watch and I was impressed by a lot of the guys on the team. I saw a lot of leaders take control of the game and how they were able to swing the momentum quickly after that first quarter was really impressive to watch.
On having LaVell Edwards present to witness his appointment as head coach
I’ve talked to Coach Edwards quite a bit and Coach Edwards has been a huge influence on my life . I’m going to lean on him heavily with a lot of things with this program and I’m very thankful to LaVell and everything that he’s done for me. He helped to motivate me to go on a mission, which was huge for me, and so there’s a lot of things that I’ve learned from Coach Edwards and I’ll continue to learn about a lot of things from him especially now that I have this job.
On reaching out to players, recruits and potential staff members
I can’t a number on it, but there’s been a lot I’ve reached out to. Like I said there’s a lot of great young men on this team and I look forward to building my relationship with them each individually. I’ve reached out and spoken to quite a number of them and I plan on meeting with each of them in the next couple of weeks as they come back to town. I just want to hear their feedback and get to know them, more about them and who they are as a person. I think that’s going to be huge for my role as a coach, to interact with them on a personal level. Recruiting never stops. I’ve been recruiting since I became a coach, so it never ends.
On the BYU-Utah rivalry
Well, it’s the second game so I’m not really focused on that game. Trust me, you don’t have to say much about the rivalry other than that I’ve experienced both sides of it and its been really fun for me having been a player here. The rivalry is so close between family members. I had a brother play for Utah when I played down here at BYU. I’ve got a lot of close friends and we’ve interacted and we know each other back when I played and right now currently. The rivalry speaks for itself, its fun. Being on the other side there’s a lot of similarities between the fan bases, but more importantly they’re really passionate about their team and I look forward to building good sportsmanship with great competition. Yeah, streaks are meant to be broken so I hope we can get to that as soon as we can.
On being one of the youngest head coaches in the country and the example of other young head coaches
First of all, when I turned 40 this year I thought I was old. So now that I become the head coach and now I’m young. It’s great to be young. I’m fired up to be young and considered young so thank you for that. I’ve been with Coach Whittingham when he was first a head coach, his first time. I’ve seen and learned a lot of things from Coach Anderson and so they’ve been huge influences for me. I’ve had really good men around me as head coaches as a youth growing up playing sports and playing football. I’ve seen a lot of good men and they’ve had a huge influence on me, specifically with football and the organization part, I’ve been able to see firsthand from Kyle and from Gary, and I’ve mentioned that I’m very grateful for them and I’m proud to be from that coaching tree which also came from Coach Edwards. So it’s great to be back and great to be installed. A lot of things that I saw that worked where we were at and I plan on doing some great things here.
On his plans for recruiting players choosing between BYU and Utah
BYU is a special place. When I look a young man in the eyes and I look at his family and his parents. I can tell them that I am living proof that this is a special place. There are a lot of young men that go through this place and it changes their life. There are a lot of guys here and all throughout the world that have experienced what I have and so I’m going to build on that. This is a special place. It’s unique. Good things can happen for you if you come to this school. So recruits get ready, because I’m living proof and I’m going to look you in the eyes and say that I played here and lived this life. I met my beautiful wife here; I made great friends- brothers for life- here. This is a great place for you if you want to be a part of that. That’s a selling point so let’s go, I want to get recruiting and get working on this stuff. If we can wrap it up quickly I’d love to go talk to those recruits.
On the goals and vision he shared during the interview process
Its probably hard to say it in one statement, but the experience I had as a young man here at BYU and under coach Edwards, the culture we had then, the brotherhood and the family atmosphere is what I want to build on. I want to embrace what Coach Mendenhall and his staff have done, they’ve done a great job here and I want to embrace all of BYU, everything. Its not about the old school and all that stuff. I want to be old school and updated and all that stuff, but I want to be current and if we’re all BYU then that’s all that matters. I want to embrace everyone and I understand that as a coach its tough but I’m not going to be doing all of it by myself. I’m going to be leaning on a lot of guys with experience out there, Tom being one of them, all the guys on the coaching staff that we’re looking at and the brothers that are here and in the community, Coach Edwards is there too. The first thing that I’ll tell you is that I’m not doing it here by myself. I’ll do it with a lot of advice and a lot of recommendations from people that are around the program and a lot of us doing it together as a group. I think that’s going to make this place special.
On his coaching style
I’m going to be myself. Yeah, I have a little bit of a mean streak in me but it’s about passion. I’m excited. I’m more positive than anything, I want to see guys excel and I’m going to demand that they do the best they can and I’m going to do everything I can to help them reach their goals. I appreciate you saying that I’m a “bad man”, I like that. I think humility and meekness is really important, but there’s times to get nasty and times to get tough. Just remembering who you are as you play this game, I think that’s really important for us as a team and as a unit. I think that we’ll make a lot of people proud of how we play on the field and off.
On his experience representing the program as a new head coach
It’s been great and it’s been humbling. I’ve received tons of support and love from so many different people and it’s been really humbling for me so I want to take this thing and run with it. Let’s get to work. I want to get to work really bad and I want to get this thing rolling. I’m fired up and I’m excited. I got to meet some of the players today and I’m ready to start working.
On becoming the first FBS Tongan head coach
I’m proud of my heritage and where I come from, that’s important to me, but I’m also proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’m proud of being a good person and a good friend. I have a lot of different roles, I’m proud of my coaching ability that I’ve learned throughout the years from so many different influences and I just happen to be Tongan, which I’m really proud of as well. It’s important to me but its just a part of who I am.
On timeline for filling his staff
As soon as possible, I want to get going on it quick and I want to get working. This is taking time away from talking to those guys.
On the different BYU eras he’s seen as a player and now as a coach
I don’t know all the details. But I’ll tell you that I appreciated from a distance where I was at a rival school and I was a fan of what the coaches and Coach Medenhall have done here. I don’t know a lot of details but we’ll work through it and I’ll talk to the players and we’ll establish the culture that I know and that’s important and we’ll work with what has already been established and already been built.
On communication with Coach Mendenhall
I’ve communicated with him. We’ve texted back and forth and I look forward to talking with him. He’s a really good man, he’s also a young guy I think he was 40 when he got the job, but I look forward to talking with him and getting to know this program and everything that I have missed in the last 15 years or so. A lot of that will be talking to the players that have been here and the players that have been under that regime. Its important to me that I cover all of that and talk to everyone.
On his goals on the football field this year
I want to win. I want to win and get our guys to play and function at our best and I think there’s really a lot of great players here and as we start working together and they’re used to winning here and its been that way for a long time. So I look forward to continuing that tradition.