Tuesday afternoon update> Sitake has make his decision. He's staying at BYU. The Penn State search continues....
Sources: BYU coach Kalani Sitake has begun to inform people that he intends to stay at the school. BYU is in the process of putting together a lucrative contract to keep him. He's been one of main targets at Penn State, which he informed of his decision today. pic.twitter.com/S76gHey7Ag
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 2, 2025
Monday morning we shared that Penn State's talks with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake had heated up.
Later that day, Sitake was asked about FootballScoop's report and he declined comment, saying "I'm all about the Big 12 championship and keeping our team focused on that. We're going to avoid all of the distractions."
BYU coach Kalani Sitake declined to comment specifically on the Football Scoop report that he is in talks with Penn State to become the Nittany Lions' next football coach. He said he said enough at the beginning of the news conference about coaching openings.
— Jay Drew (@drewjay) December 1, 2025
Later in the day additional outlets shared notes on both Penn State's interest in Sitake and BYU's desire to retain him.
Today, sources deeply connected to Penn State's search tell FootballScoop, "This is definitely not a done deal but it is definitely fair to say the process is moving down the path. He’s the target. Coach Sitake offers really unique skillsets. His teams are exceptionally well coached. While they might not have the talent level of some of the top tier schools it would be hard to find any of those top tier schools that are better coached than BYU.
In today’s modern football it’s up to a university and its fan base to provide NIL support to get the best players. It’s the coaches job to develop and get the best out of them. I believe we at Penn State have demonstrated the commitment to attracting top tier funding and talent. I believe Coach Sitake brings the coaching acumen to get the best out his players."
This largely sounds like Penn State believes they have the infrastructure and the economics to secure talent they believe can compete year in, year out for championships and they believe with Sitake coaching them, they can win those big games they haven't in the past.
Now, on the flip side, BYU is fully aware of the situation and desires to retain and extend Sitake. Sources tell FootballScoop BYU leadership and some of their largest donors have had multiple conversations about how to best provide Sitake (and truly his players) with the best possible resources within the constraints that come with being a student at Brigham Young University. The answer there isn't as clear as it is as other universities.
Oh, and there is a conference championship game in four days to continue preparing for. Stay tuned.