Penn State’s public courtship of BYU head coach Kalani Sitake has ended in disappointment.
Sitake has informed people close to him that he plans to stay at BYU, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. The school is lining up a new contract for him with a raise in pay.
Sources: BYU coach Kalani Sitake has begun to inform people that he intends to stay at the school. BYU is in the process of putting together a lucrative contract to keep him. He's been one of main targets at Penn State, which he informed of his decision today. pic.twitter.com/S76gHey7Ag
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 2, 2025
Sitake was a bit of a surprising target, as he has resisted offers from major schools before. He did appear to have genuine interest in the Penn State job and never publicly denied reports linking him to it, though he was adamant that his focus was on the upcoming Big 12 Championship against Texas Tech on Saturday.
BYU made an aggressive effort to keep Sitake on Tuesday, bankrolled by a major corporate donor. That appears to have worked, and left the Nittany Lions disappointed.
This marks a high-profile setback for Penn State as the school seeks to replace James Franklin. It is not clear where the Nittany Lions will turn next, but whoever they pursue will know that they were not the school’s first choice, making for an awkward situation.
Sitake has been the head coach at BYU, which is his alma mater, since 2016. He has gone 83-44 over his 10 seasons with the Cougars. His BYU squad went 11-2 last season and is 11-1 this season. The Cougars are on the verge of the first ever College Football Playoff appearance.
