The 2025 BYU football team had few expectations this year. However, it quickly became a season to remember, with BYU finishing the regular season 11-1, their only loss a blowout against Texas Tech. Now, the Cougars are headed to the Big 12 title game against Texas Tech in a massive rematch, with the winner headed to the College Football Playoff. However, the rematch is clouded by rumors that Kalani Sitake's name is being mentioned at Penn State.
On a ZOOM call, when he was previewing the Big 12 Championship against Texas Tech, Sitake almost completely sidestepped the questions that came up about him potentially taking the Penn State football head coaching job. He said he's focusing solely on the game this week and not worrying about any distractions.
“I’m all about the Big 12 championship and keeping our team focused on that. We’re going to avoid all of the distractions,” Sitake said Monday, when asked by The Salt Lake Tribune.
Sitake is a BYU alum. He played fullback at the school and is the first FBS head coach of Tongan descent. The Cougars take on Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game on Saturday at Noon on ABC. BYU is a 13.5-point underdog, and Texas Tech already beat Sitake’s team 29-7 this season.
He was hired at BYU in 2016 and has steadily built the Cougars into one of the most consistent programs in the West. He checks a lot of boxes for Penn State with stability, experience, and a consistent winning track record. Still, his emergence in the coaching search was shocking, given that Penn State has kept extremely quiet about it.
“We're trying to finish the season the right way; it's on us to be our best to play against Texas Tech,” Sitake said. “So as we go through this week and go through the prep, I also want them to live through all the moments and have a great experience and not waste a moment thinking about anything else. … This is a great distraction to have, let's be honest. But you know, right now we need to be focused on making sure that we're giving our best shot in this game against Texas Tech.”
The fact that this could all be happening with a historic season on the horizon for BYU makes things messier, and fans should buckle up for the craziness that could still be upcoming. Penn State has already contacted Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and, after Sitake, might have to continue looking elsewhere.
