You’d think a coach riding high off an 11–2 season and a shiny Alamo Bowl win over Coach Prime would be soaking up every ounce of offseason hype. And Kalani Sitake is soaking it in—just not in the way you might expect. The BYU head coach, fresh off landing a generational five-star quarterback in Ryder Lyons and building one of the most loaded recruiting classes in Cougar history, just hit pause. Not on the momentum. On himself. While Sitake temporarily steps away from coaching duties for deeply personal reasons, he’s not letting his squad coast through the summer. In fact, he just issued one of his strongest demands yet.

On June 24th—the same day as 5-star QB Ryder Lyons committed to the Cougars—Sitake hopped on BYUtv Sports Nation and delivered more than just generic offseason coach-speak. He gave a pretty blunt directive to his team while also announcing he’s pressing pause on coaching duties for personal reasons. The message? Don’t wait for coaches. Own this summer.

“They know what they got. They have to do what they have to accomplish,” Sitake said when asked what he expects from the team during this six-week gap before fall camp. “And it’s our strength and conditioning staff. This is their game day. So this is their game time. This is their season—the preparation, the offseason conditioning, all that stuff. Our guys are working really, really hard, and I’m really excited about what I’m seeing from them.”

Sitake’s tone wasn’t demanding, but it had that unmistakable fire behind it. The way he framed it, this stretch isn’t just downtime—it’s crunch time for the guys in the weight room and locker room. He wants the players running player-led practices, forming real connections, and laying the foundation for something special.

Kalani Sitake doubled down: “I think they need a break from the coaches too. Let the players run some practices and let them kind of be around each other… put the phones down and enjoy each other’s company.” Translation: Chemistry is currency at BYU right now. And the timing? Couldn’t be more critical. The Cougars lost over 30 players to the portal this offseason—a mass exodus including top-tier talent like Keelan Marion and Harrison Taggart. But Sitake also went portal shopping, pulling in 13 high-impact transfers and, oh yeah, sealing the deal with Lyons, the highest-rated BYU commit in two decades.

That kind of roster churn needs glue. It needs time. And Sitake seems to believe this six-week stretch—fueled by golf, bonding, and zero coaching micromanagement—is the sweet spot to build it. “They’re going to go play [golf] right now,” Sitake laughed. “And I like that they can spend four hours together… just grow closer and get to know each other in a more loving way. And then we’ll see how that transforms to the football field.” The message was clear: if you want to win, don’t just lift weights and run drills. Learn from each other. Trust each other. Because when fall camp hits, it’s game on.

And what about Sitake himself? The man has a jam-packed few weeks ahead. “Well, I have a daughter getting married, and then I have a two-year-old turning three, and we have birthdays. I mean, obviously Disney’s got to be in there somewhere, and then Hawaii,” Sitake smiled. “Then I’ll be right back here, and we start camp and away we go.”

It’s a well-earned break. After an 11-2 season and a statement win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, Sitake has BYU surging. Now the team’s next leap depends on the leadership simmering this summer.

Kalani Sitake’s new 5-star QB on NIL

Usually, five-star QBs rarely commit to schools like BYU. Not in the NIL era, where money flows freely to teen recruits. Yet Ryder Lyons, the No. 4 quarterback in the 2026 class with a valuation near $800K, said nope to Eugene and yes to Provo. And he didn’t tiptoe around why.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Lyons dropped the truth: “It’s hard for sure,” he said when asked about handling NIL offers. “You’re thrown a lot of money from a lot of different places… But you got to stay humble. Money is not the biggest part. The biggest part is making it to the NFL. That’s where the serious money is.”

Let that simmer. Lyons just passed up huge six-figure offers from programs like USC and Oregon—two NIL juggernauts—to sign with BYU, a private university where NIL operations are practically a mystery. And he did it not for headlines, but because he believes in the people: Kalani Sitake, Aaron Roderick, and what BYU’s building. Lyons said it best: “The biggest part is making it to the NFL… That’s where the long-term money is.”

He credits his mom for keeping his head clear through the noise. And in a time where quarterbacks are flipping commitments like pancakes, Lyons looks locked in. “I have an agent, I have a whole team,” he noted. “But it definitely makes things confusing.” But it seems BYU made things simple. Sitake’s stability. Roderick’s proven QB development. A chance to start early. All of it outweighed a few extra commas on a short-term check. And that’s not just a win for BYU—it’s a flex. In the Wild West that is NIL recruiting, the Cougars just lured in the third-highest-rated recruit in program history without showing off a briefcase full of cash. Sitake gave his orders. Lyons gave his commitment.