BYU head coach Kalani Sitake has reportedly just finalized the single most impactful negotiation in college football history. Per On3's Pete Nakos, Sitake has reached an agreement with BYU's brass to increase NIL by $10-$15 million above revenue sharing, increase Kalani's salary from a reported $3 million to north of $9 million per year, and my assumption is Sitake's staff will also be well taken care of as a result of this deal.
This is among the most masterful, impactful negotiations in college football history.
The most important rule in negotiation is this: You're not negotiating unless you're willing to walk away. When reports began breaking that Sitake was seriously considering Penn State's offer to be their new head coach, those reports had to be taken seriously. After all, Penn State has a history of success, is well funded, and the Nittany Lions are a member of the Good Ol' Boys' network of college football bluebloods whose birthright it is to make the College Football Playoffs even after losing three games.
Kalani must have been serious about potentially leaving Provo. And with the thought of losing a beloved coach who has gone 22-3 over the last two years and is coaching in the Big 12 championship this weekend, BYU's well-funded donors got serious, too.
Related: Penn State's shot at BYU's Kalani Sitake 'Crumbl's' with pledge from major donor
It's important to note that while Brigham Young University is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, no church tithing funds go to BYU athletics. BYU athletics can only spend what it makes and what its donors contribute. Well, the donors stepped up, and Kalani is staying in Provo.
Here's why Kalani's gambit could be the most masterful negotiation in college football history:
Kalani has given BYU national credibility
While BYU has won almost every football game it has played over the last two years, Kalani Sitake's program just can't seem to win over the three groups that truly control the Cougars fate: The College Football Playoff selection committee, the CFP's shill in ESPN, and skeptical AP voters.
The college football elites who gatekeep the sport from upstarts like BYU have had to pause and take notice that Kalani Sitake chose BYU over Penn State. He turned down opportunities to win national championships in College Station to now win them in Provo. Kalani's very national, public negotiation will elevate his program in the eyes of those who control which teams are in the club, and which ones are on the outside looking in.
Kalani secured money to assemble a championship-caliber roster
In today's college football world, building a team that can compete for national titles takes money. Like it or not, but that's how the system currently works. By securing an additional $10-$15 million in NIL for his team, BYU's staff will be able to clean up on the recruiting trail, lure top-shelf transfers, and retain key talents like freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
Texas Tech is competing in this year's Big 12 title game against BYU on Saturday and should get an invitation to the College Football Playoffs no matter what happens in this title game. One of the main reasons the Red Raiders are competing for a national championship today is because their boosters opened the checkbook last year and Texas Tech landed the No. 2 transfer class in the country.
BYU now has the funds to do the same.
Sitake's negotiation will accelerate BYU's high school recruiting success
With additional NIL funding, BYU's staff will now be able to go after 5-star and 4-star high school talents with this compelling message coming from Kalani himself: "You have offers from every school in the country. You can choose where you go. I had the chance to coach Penn State in the Big Ten. I chose BYU. It's the best decision I ever made."
That's powerful. BYU's class of 2026 is already the best in program history on paper and is ranked No. 20 nationally. With Kalani and his staff locked up for years to come and with added NIL funds, this could become the new norm for BYU recruiting.
BYU is now well-positioned for the next round of conference realignment
Conference realignment will happen at some point in the future. When that time comes BYU can show that with the investments and success of both football and basketball, the Cougars should be worthy of the highest level of "conference" (or whatever they'll be called in the future) that the NCAA and their media partners try next.
What Kalani Sitake pulled off this week not only can -- but will -- change the trajectory of BYU football for at least the next decade, if not longer.
Well done, Kalani!