Brigham Young University officially introduced Kalani Sitake as their new head football coach Monday.
Sitake comes to BYU after working as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Oregon State. Prior to that he spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Utah. But Sitake also has strong BYU ties, having played running back under legendary coach LaVell Edwards in the late 90’s. He says he’ll draw on that past as he gets set to start a new era at BYU.
“I’ve learned a lot of things along the way and I’ve met some great people," he says. "And UI look forward to bringing my experiences in the last 15 years and establishing a program where these young men can thrive and experience a lot of the things I had back in my time.”
BYU is historically known as a place with great passing quarterbacks, but when asked what the offense will look like under his control, Sitake jokingly replied,
“We’re going to be a balanced team," he says. "We’re going to run the ball and we’re going to throw the ball. You know, and try not to punt as much on offense. And defense, we’re going to be aggressive.”
Sitake will be BYU’s 14th head coach and the first ever college football head coach of Tongan descent.