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Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake holds the trophy during the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. BYU won 36-14. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
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When BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame mid-January, he was a stone’s throw away from where he grew up in Laie on the north shore of the island of Oahu. It was a symbolic moment for the first-ever Division I head coach of Tongan descent as he stood there with his father and siblings, following a remarkable turnaround season for him as a coach.
In this piece, Tad Walch includes comments from BYU university President Shane Reese, on the background of Sitake and his father Tom and their roots as Cougar fans.
This past week, Sitake got commitments from a pair of recruits, Landan Goff and Jordyn Criss, for the Class of 2025 and made an offer to Folsom High offensive lineman Vlad Dyakonov, teammate of the No. 2-rated quarterback in the country Ryder Lyons. This was a significant move because Lyons, who had USC atop his offer list of 30-plus schools, had requested BYU coaches to look at some of his teammates who had accompanied him on a trip to Provo this past fall. If Lyons, Class of 2026, signs with the Cougars, word on the street is tight end Brock Harris, one of the top recruits in Utah, would likely follow.
BYU’s 11-2 season and ranking as high as No. 6 this past year have elevated Sitake and his program to a new level of interest for recruits.
Question of the Week
It’s great to be Kalani Sitake these days. Explain why Sitake is enjoying a higher profile today than a year ago.
Jay Drew: Last year at this time, Sitake was facing a bit of an uncertain…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kalani-sitake-finding-offseason-momentum-193649342.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2025-01-29 19:36:00
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