Last year, around November, Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders could not reel in support from Bruce Feldman. As the analyst discussed on the Coach of the Year Award, the Brigham Young University HC Kelaokalani Fifita “Kalani” Sitake was able to find a place in his heart. After all, he had lived up to the Big 12 standards, beating the top 20 Kansas team.

That’s how he has won the trust of the Cougars too. BYU wrapped up the 2024 season with an 11-2 overall record. Now, for the ones who think only success and good stats matter in college football, Sitake’s case study comes up with more learnings. Kindness, honesty, and patience also play a vital role in winning football. And Sitake will need little doses of each of them, as he accepts that the Big 12 race is going to be a tough one this season.

On the June 17 episode of the DJ & PK podcast, the hosts questioned Sitake. “There were a lot of unknowns when you joined the Big 12, obviously, and half the league is changing membership. Do you feel like you have your arms around the league and you know what it is now? Or is that another thing that’s constantly evolving and changing, you just got to figure it out on the fly as you go?” We need to time travel to 2016, when inside a Dallas hotel, BYU AD Tom Holmoe and Sitake pitched their case to the Big 12 for a much-desired invitation. The Big 12 passed on expansion. The Cougars became briefly crestfallen. But they did not lose hope, even if it meant adapting to a new scheme. Sitake now accepts that the toughness still prevails. “I think the more I’m around it, the more I just realize how.”

He continued, “We’ve had some new coaches in the conference come in, and it’s just going to be difficult. Everybody’s got a good team and everyone now has the money and is able to pay players things like that, so we have to find our competitive advantage and our niche and what’s going to make us unique and different than everybody else.” The Big 12 Conference has two new head coaches this upcoming football season, and both of them – Rich Rodriguez (West Virginia) and Scott Frost (UCF). Rodriguez has a record of 136-92 in 18 years at major schools. Plus, he is known for his innovative offensive strategies, particularly his work with the zone read option. So, Sitake can already feel the heat. But is he perturbed?

No way. Rather, Sitake is hopeful about their plan of action and is driven towards a mission. “That’s the exciting part about it. I think when you put things together, the strategy, the scheme, the culture, everything that goes into building a program, for me, that’s what’s exciting, and seeing if we can, how we match up. And if we can get to this point where we can win a Big 12 championship. That’s the goal.” Under the guidance of the director of football strength and conditioning, Ryan Phillis, Sitake’s boys have been hitting the weight room hard since early January. The Cougars are returning some weapons, like leading pass-catcher Chase Roberts and leading rusher LJ Martin. 

Under first-year offensive line coach TJ Woods, BYU’s O-line improved in 2024. Woods believes his 2025 unit is just as talented, led by transfers Andrew Gentry (Michigan) and Isaiah Jatta (Colorado). One coach must be losing his sleep learning about all this about the BYU squad. That’s none other than the Buffs’ head coach Deion Sanders.

Kalani Sitake keeps the BYU Cougars’ compass steady 

Sitake and Co.’s 2025 season opener is slated against Colorado on September 27. And the college football fans are already eager to witness the rematch of the 2024 Alamo Bowl. The game that the Buffs fans are going to remember for the longest time. Well, not for the good reasons, of course. Sitake’s boys crushed Deion’s army in a 14-36 heroic feat. Moving into the 2025 season, Coach Prime must already be running low on confidence with his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, playing in the NFL.

The BYU head coach raised an alarm, stating that the Cougars are ready for anything. This is the confidence they have gathered after travelling independently all over the country for games with various kickoff times. While CU must already be planning for a revenge, Sitake sounded confident of maintaining their streak. “Yeah, I think it is going to be a lot of fun. Same time zone as us, so I am not worried about it. It is a short trip. I am really thankful that we have those new teams in our conference, one of them being Utah. And having the short distance going to Colorado, and Arizona, and playing Arizona State.” 

Sitake’s boys had already taken the Big 12 by surprise with an 11-2 record and a bowl game win. They fell short of making the Big 12 title game. While they must be looking up to make up for the missed opportunity by a hair’s breadth, here comes a distraction on the way. Right now, their returning quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, has landed in a sticky spot and has been accused of sexual assault. If Kalani locks in and keeps the Cougars’ compass steady, they might just chart a course to the Big 12 title they couldn’t clinch last year.