When Penn State threw everything but the kitchen sink at Kalani Sitake to lure the head coach away from BYU in favor of filling James Franklin's shoes in Happy Valley, that was as good an indicator as any that the Cougars had one of the most exceptional coaches in college basketball on their hands.
Retaining Sitake was perhaps the biggest win BYU football secured all season -- and that's saying something, considering a Pop-Tarts Bowl victory and a home W against 10-2 Utah in Kyle Whittingham's final season with the Utes.
CBS Sports seems to agree that the Cougars have a gem, as their recent power ranking of every power conference head coach across the world of college football lists Sitake just outside the top 10.
For BYU football, that's an incredible place to stand.
Tom Fornelli had the following to say regarding his 12th place spot for Sitake.
"Kalani Sitake finished 26th last year, just outside our top 25, but climbs 14 spots after another strong season at BYU. Sitake's Cougars are 23-4 over the last two seasons and reached the Big 12 Championship last year. If they can figure out how to get over the Texas Tech hump and reach the CFP in 2026, Sitake will likely climb into our top 10. Maybe our voters will receive free cookies if he does."
As the blurb outlined, Sitake has transformed BYU into perhaps the most consistently strong team in the Big 12 Conference, breaking out to consecutive double-digit win seasons after a sputtering 5-7 year in the Cougars' first season of membership.
Behind a culture of love and family bonds, BYU's mission as an institution is lit within the fire of BYU football. Christlike charity, kindness, and a locker room bond strong enough to withstand the allure of Kyle Whittingham and Jay Hill over the offseason, all encapsulate what Sitake's mission is with the program.
Sitake wasn't an overnight success with the Cougars. I still shudder at the thought of the nightmarish 2017 campaign, where the team posted a 4-9 record punctuated with a home loss to UMass and perhaps the worst football game I've ever had the displeasure of viewing, a 6-7 home loss to Northern Illinois.
But that's all in the past now, because Kalani Sitake's vision has taken shape in Provo, and high-level recruits of all backgrounds are beginning to take notice.
BYU football has a sensational head coach leading the charge. We'll just hope the team has enough to reach the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history.
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