Kalani Sitake has been the head football coach at Brigham Young University since 2015, and is the first Tongan to become a collegiate football head coach.
16 Facts About Kalani Sitake
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Kalani Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on January 18,2025.
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Kalani Sitake's family immigrated to the United States when he was a child, living in Laie, Hawaii.
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Kalani Sitake began his BYU playing career in 1994 prior to serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oakland, California.
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Kalani Sitake was named BYU's Football Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1998, helped BYU to the first Mountain West Conference championship in 1999, and earned BYU's Impact Player of the Year in 1999.
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In 2000, Kalani Sitake was named team captain and BYU's most valuable running back.
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Kalani Sitake completed his career amassing 373 yards rushing on 86 carries, and 536 yards receiving on 62 receptions for one touchdown.
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Kalani Sitake got his start as an assistant coach during the 2001 season when he worked as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator at Eastern Arizona College.
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Kalani Sitake became the first native Tongan named as a defensive coordinator at an NCAA FBS school, following the resignation of the previous defensive coordinator, Gary Andersen.
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On December 23,2014, OSU announced Kalani Sitake's hiring as the team's new defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
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On September 3,2016, Kalani Sitake's head coaching career began with BYU facing Arizona in the Cactus Kickoff in University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
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Kalani Sitake benched starting quarterback Tanner Mangum in favor of true freshman Zach Wilson.
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Kalani Sitake received a contract extension from athletic director Tom Holmoe through the 2023 season.
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Wilson won back the starting job, and successfully Kalani Sitake guided the team through the revamped schedule.
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Kalani Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on January 18,2025 at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii.
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Kalani Sitake has a bachelor's degree in English from BYU.