"The players would say 'I love you, Coach' after meetings and stuff like that," recalled recently-committed four-star defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams when asked what drew him to BYU football on Mitch Harper's Cougar Tracks Podcast. "That means something."
Four-star defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams explained on the Cougar Tracks Podcast why he committed to BYU.@Jeremiah_W22 @kslsports pic.twitter.com/pnJCnzQpVW
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) May 7, 2026
Snatching this four-star out of California was far from a given early in the player's recruiting window. A highly coveted recruit who dominated at the high school level, Jeremiah Williams fielded scholarship offers from some of the biggest brands in all of college football.
Teams like Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, etc. offered plenty to Williams as he explored his options, but some things can only be found on the campus of Brigham Young University.
"All schools are going to have great coaching staff," said Williams. "But the way players are responding to this coaching staff is way different. They've got a different type of coaching style -- which is coaching with love -- and I truly didn't see how it would hype all the players up, but I've seen it on the first day at practice, and honestly, I want to be part of that."
Yeah, I know it's corny to say that BYU football "outloves" the competition, and it would be disingenuous to suggest that coaches don't love their players outside of Provo, Utah, but Kalani Sitake installed culture at BYU unlike anywhere else at the power conference level. Winning football games wasn't the only reason Sitake's Penn State tease put the fear of God into the BYU fanbase -- though it never hurts -- the key factor was the family aspect. Simply put, BYU wasn't ready to say goodbye to such a fundamental member of the Cougar family.
Recruits and athletes can see that family aspect of BYU. It's noticable.
Per reports during the Penn State saga, Sitake was essentially gone and bound for Happy Valley. But BYU rallied around their coach, the culture he'd established for the football program, and came together for a "Don't Go" campaign unlike anything any program has seen in the modern age.
But the biggest factor in play to keep Kalani in Provo? Assurance that his staff would be taken care of. He wanted a bigger budget not simply to line his pockets, but to protect his team. To maintain the momentum he's made with the program. To continue leading the team forward with a loving hand, not an iron fist.
Sitake has been called many things. Many accuse him of being too soft on his subordinates, instilling no discipline on his roster, and the like. But when players buy into a program as much as BYU's head coach already has, you reach a level of unity unseen at this level.
BYU football gained the confidence of Jeremiah Williams, not because of world-class facilities, an undeniable tradition of winning, or a first-ballot Hall of Fame head coach. Call this corny all you like, but it's the truth. BYU is winning the battle because they're fighting for each other; they're leading with love.
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