PROVO, Utah — Kalani Sitake is staying right where he is, as the BYU head football coach chose to spurn offers from Penn State to remain in Provo.
The university announced a new contract extension with Sitake on Tuesday, ending any speculation that the coach would leave to fill the role left open after the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin earlier this season.
Terms of the extension were not released.
“[Sitake] is a proven leader, and we are grateful he is once again choosing BYU," said BYU Director of Athletics Brian Santiago. "His legacy of building a championship program the BYU way will continue on. He is one of the best people in the business. We are excited to continue to ride the wave of positive momentum with him.”
WATCH: Full press conference below
In a matter of hours, Sitake had emerged Monday as the leading candidate for the Penn State job. ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel claimed that Sitake and Penn State had discussed the position, with those discussions involving potential staff members.
However, with the Cougars set to play Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, Sitake decided to stick with BYU for an eleventh season and beyond.
“For me, it’s like I’ve never really thought about leaving ever but I’m also competitive and I want to be able to take care of people,” Sitake said. “This is just one of those moments where I felt like us being in the Big 12, we can make the right moves and I don’t really need to do this anywhere else. I can do it here. I feel like we’ve got some great momentum.”
BYU made retaining Sitake a top priority and put together a contract extension that swayed him to stay at the school where he played as a fullback under LaVell Edwards in 1994 and from 1997 to 2000 following a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As part of retaining Sitake, BYU made commitments to deeper investments in the football program that included everything from higher salaries for assistant coaches and support staff to enhanced football facilities.
“I am humbled and full of gratitude for the outpouring of love from BYU fans and the trust and support provided to our football program by our university leadership,” Sitake said. “This is good for the stability and future of BYU football. I’m excited about our future.”
WATCH: Max Roth takes an in-depth look at the numbers behind Sitake's options
The decision was met with relief from BYU players.
“If he left, I would have been super sad,” receiver Chase Roberts said. “I would have probably cried in my bed and I’m not even coming back next year. That shows the character of Kalani and how much we care about this program.”
