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BYU Coach Makes Concerning Comment About Situation With Program
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Kalani Sitake appeared to be ready to jump ship for Penn State in December before he decided to stay at his alma mater, BYU.
The Cougars reportedly offered Sitake and his staff a pay raise and promised to increase the budget for the football team's roster.
On July 30, Sitake made strong comments to Ben Criddle of Cougar Sports about BYU's investment in the football program. He argued that it "doesn't take much" for the Cougars to be more competitive, and the school can do more than pay players to make the College Football Playoff.
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The Cougars finished the regular season with a No. 12 ranking and a 11-2 record, but failed to receive an at-large bid for the CFP.
During Wednesday's practice, reporters asked Sitake about how he feels about the resources he has at his disposal from BYU.
Sitake gave a concerning answer for BYU, saying he would leave those details to his agent.
“My agent is going to handle all of that stuff.” Sitake said , via video from Jackson Payne of Deseret News. “I’m gonna focus on this year’s team and as long as I’m the head coach here at BYU, I’m going to always fight like crazy to get this place so they can be a premier program.
"I feel like the players deserve that, and the coaches and staff deserve it and most of all, Cougar Nation deserves it.” BYU fans might have felt more confident in the program had Sitake said he felt good about the resources. Even Sitake saying he was working with the administration would have been more comforting than saying he was leaving those duties up to his agent.
During his interview with Criddle, Sitake said his agent has pointed out that other programs have better resources than BYU.
"Sometimes, you got to go through these things," Sitake said. "You’re like, ‘Okay, this is going well.’ And I’ve always just been appreciative of everything. But then, when I look back at it and my agent tells me, ‘Hey, this is the stuff that everybody else has.’"
It's fair to wonder if Sitake and his agent will be willing to test the market during the coaching carousel this season if BYU doesn't give the resources Sitake thinks are acceptable for the Big 12 program. Sitake gave up a big-time job to stay at BYU for the opportunity to chase championships with the program.
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