Kalani Sitake to Penn State? BYU coach addresses job rumors before Big 12 title game

Kalani Sitake has unexpectedly become one of the names circulating around Penn State’s coaching vacancy, a twist that says as much about his rising profile as it does about the unusual direction of the Nittany Lions’ search. The current BYU coach surfaced as a candidate over the weekend as Penn State continues to look for a replacement nearly a month and a half after firing James Franklin on Oct. 12 and, per 247Sports’ Blair Angulo, BYU called an impromptu team meeting Monday afternoon. 

The timing is striking. Sitake has No. 11 BYU preparing for one of the biggest games in program history — the Big 12 Championship Game against No. 5 Texas Tech on Saturday with a College Football Playoff bid on the line. And while he declined to address any specifics when asked directly about the Penn State job on Monday, Sitake acknowledged the need to speak with his players about the outside noise.

“They’re used to me saying, ‘Hey, this is a good sign that things are going well for us,'” Sitake said, via The Deseret News. “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.”

Would Kalani Sitake fit at Penn State?

Sitake, who was hired at BYU in 2016, has steadily built the Cougars into one of the most consistent programs in the West. The swirling attention, even as BYU chases a championship, shows why Sitake’s potential fit at Penn State is such an intriguing debate. On one hand, he checks many boxes: stability, experience and a winning track record. The Cougars’ 56-19 (.747) record since the 2020 season ranks as the seventh-best mark among FBS programs behind only Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame and Michigan over that span.

Penn State’s position in the Big Ten would provide greater resources and access to the College Football Playoff. On the other hand, Sitake is widely viewed as a BYU lifer, tied to the program culturally and personally in ways few Power Four coaches are to their schools. He played at BYU under LaVell Edwards and remains deeply connected to its identity as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

His tenure mirrors that of mentor Kyle Whittingham at Utah — another coach frequently floated for big jobs but long assumed to be immovable. BYU’s success only reinforces that image. Sitake signed an extension last December and was elevated to an expanded role within the athletic department.

Penn State’s mysterious coaching search 

Sitake’s candidacy is surfacing as Penn State’s search has mostly stayed quiet and stretched far longer than expected. The Nittany Lions were one of the first Power Four programs to act this cycle, but the early firing of Franklin has not produced an early hire. Several perceived targets — including Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea — signed extensions, while James Madison’s Bob Chesney, a Pennsylvania native, is expected to make the jump to UCLA, leaving Penn State in a shrinking candidate pool after multiple Power Four vacancies were filled over the weekend. 

That dynamic has elevated Sitake’s profile in State College even as he downplays it in Provo. Meanwhile, BYU is preparing for the biggest stage it has played on since joining the Big 12 in 2023. And as long as the Cougars remain in championship mode, Sitake appears determined to make sure the distractions stay on the outside.

“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.”