The Next BYU Football Coach: Analyzing Risk, Reward in Candidates

Nov 21, 2015; Corvallis, OR, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Gary Andersen watches from the side line against the Washington Huskies at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Sitake is currently the defensive coordinator at Oregon State, but before this year he was at the University of Utah. Kalani Sitake is getting a lot of recognition and praise for his abilities to recruit, and he has put together some solid defenses. Sitake played at BYU until 2000 and returned as an assistant coach in 2003, so he’s pretty familiar with the program.

Sitake reportedly makes $730,008, but he has stated that he’s not really in for the money, according to a recent article by Kevin Hampton.

The risk factor here mostly stems from his stint this year at Oregon State, which struggled and only won two games. However, that can quickly be turned into a positive by claiming the year as a fluke, or that he would be more successful by joining a more stable program like BYU’s.

Defensively he could be fantastic, but you’ve got to take into account the possible risks with regards to how stable he can maintain the program, especially since it would be his first head coaching job. Any position he takes at BYU would likely raise his stock as a potential head coach, so BYU can’t risk cutting his salary too short, or he might end up somewhere else.

Next: Kyle Whittingham