Penn State fired James Franklin on October 12, and while Franklin has found a new job, Penn State has not found a new coach. They have struck out on other names, including Josh Huepel of Tennessee. Now, they have a new top target in the coaching search.
According to On3, Penn State's new top target in their coaching search is Kalani Stiake of BYU. The Cougars will face Texas Tech in the Big 12 Conference Championship on Saturday with a chance to make it to the College Football Playoff.
“They're used to me saying, ‘Hey, this is a good sign that things are going well for us,'” Sitake said, addressing the rumors. “But I will say that this isn't about me. What I've asked our team to do is to be focused on what we're trying to accomplish.”
While rumors are swirling around the BYU coach heading to Penn State, he is trying to get his team to the Playoff. They opened the season 8-0 before a loss on the road to Texas Tech derailed a perfect regular season. BYU has since won three straight games, including a 41-21 victory over UCF last week. They play at noon on Saturday against Texas Tech again.
Sitake began his coaching career at Eastern Arizona after playing at BYU. He would then join BYU as a GA before time at Southern Utah, Utah, and Oregon State. After Bronco Mendenhall left the BYU program for Virginia, Sitake was named the new head coach of the Cougars.
In his time at BYU, the team has made a bowl game in seven of nine seasons, while compiling an 83-44 record. All but three of the seasons were as an independent, and this is BYU's first chance to win a conference title since winning in the Mountain West in 2007.
Meanwhile, if Sitake leaves, he will be joining a program with higher expectations. Penn State made it to the CFP Semifinal last year and won the Big Ten in 2016 under Franklin.
