BYU Cougars football head coach Kalani Sitake could be a top candidate for the Penn State vacancy. (Syndication: The Ames Tribune)
As the Penn State Football coaching search hits the 50-day mark, rumors are swirling. Sunday, Florida hired a coach, LSU poached a coach, Ole Miss promoted a coach, and several other coaching vacancies were filled. However, there was very little to report on the Nittany Lions‘ vacancy.
Rumors started swirling about a mystery candidate, leading several to believe BYU coach Kalani Sitake could be in play for Pat Kraft.
Analyzing a possible Penn State Mystery Candidate: Kalani Sitake’s Winning Résumé
Sitake is a good coach, but his fit in State College would be questionable.
Sitake went to high school in Missouri after moving from Hawaii. Following his high school career, he went on a two-year mission for BYU. Following his mission, he played Fullback at BYU before playing a year for the Cincinnati Bengals.
After his playing days, Sitake then began climbing the ranks as a graduate assistant or position coach for several smaller schools on the West Coast.
Eventually, he became Oregon State’s defensive coordinator in 2015. He cashed that job into a head coaching gig with his alma mater, Brigham Young.
BYU’s Track Record: 83 Wins and Four 10-Win Seasons
Sitake’s head coaching track record has been pretty stout.
In his 10 years at BYU Sitake is 83-44 overall. He has led the Cougars to 4 10+ win seasons, and has them poised to possibly win the Big 12 and make a playoff run.
Sitake is a terrific football coach, but would he really make sense at Penn State?
Despite Sitake’s winning history, the contrasts from BYU to PSU seem pretty big.
The difference between the Big 12 and the Big 10 is a stark contrast to begin with. Additionally, Sitake’s exclusively west coast ties would present a challenge to recruiting Penn State’s DMV footprint.
The Final Verdict: Could Sitake Work in Happy Valley?
There can be good football coaches coaching at places where they don’t fit in.
This would seem to be the situation with Sitake. Recruiting players from the West Coast to BYU is so drastically different from recruiting East Coast players to Penn State.
The only way it could work out is if Sitake can assemble a staff with deep Mid-Atlantic roots. That would have to be a prerequisite in order for Sitake to take the Penn State job.
Additionally, success in the Big Ten is a lot harder than success in the Big 12. I think Mike Yurchich and Andy Kotelnicki would bear that out.
There is no doubt, Sitake is a good football coach, but he would be an … interesting fit in State College to say the least.
Penn State Coaching Search Hot Board Narrows: Who’s Still in the Running After Major Extensions?
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Ian Purdy covers Penn State Football Recruiting for NittanyCentral.
Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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