Kalani Sitake was one of many college football coaches who leveraged the Penn State opening to land a contract extension with his current program. Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft had reportedly zeroed in on the 10-year head coach of BYU before Sitake pulled out the rug from under him and forced Kraft to pivot to Matt Campbell, who ultimately left Iowa State.
Sitake, a BYU alum and devout Mormon who has never coached east of the Rocky Mountains, turned his Penn State flirtation into a major pay raise, going from $4 million a year, which had him in the bottom half of Big 12 coaches, to $10 million, trailing only Colorado’s Deion Sanders.
His return was also accompanied by an increased salary pool for his assistants and increased roster spending. Now it seems, however, that those commitments weren’t enough because Sitake is crying poor, something Campbell will never have to do in Happy Valley.
"We’ve been given the challenge of doing the most with the least,” Sitake told Benjamin Criddle, who covers BYU sports for ESPN radio. “This is very simple demands of people that our opponents have in the conference – and not even Texas Tech. The others, right? So if we can get an even playing field with that stuff, then I should be able to do more."
The gap between the Big Ten and the Big 12 has never been wider
BYU’s pitch to keep Sitake in Provo also included conversations with Patti Edwards, widow of legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards. It was described as a “love bomb” from the BYU program and fanbase. But it seems those warm and gooey feelings have already worn off.
Sitake has managed to thrust the Cougars to the top of the Big 12, winning 11 games in 2024 and 12 games in 2025. The latter came with a roster that reportedly cost $10 million, while the rest of the sports, including the eventual Big 12 champs, Texas Tech, were ratcheting spending upwards of $40 million. This season, there will be $50 million rosters in college football.
BYU can’t compete with that. Penn State probably isn’t quite to that level either. But the Nittany Lions have a much smaller gap to close. He could have had those resources at his disposal in Happy Valley, but instead, he’s begging for them in Provo.
BYU has money to spend. The basketball program landed AJ Dybantsa, who was eventually the No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. But regardless of the economics of the program and its donor base, unless you have an angel investor like Texas Tech does with Cody Campbell, it’s difficult for programs outside the Big Ten and the SEC to keep pace with the money those Power 2 conferences have rolling in with their massive TV deals.
Miami and Notre Dame are the only other programs spending on the level of the Big Ten and SEC powers. Miami can do it because the ACC pays out its entire College Football Playoff bonus to the team that earned it, and Notre Dame is Notre Dame. As much as BYU wants to model itself after Notre Dame, and there are similarities, there are levels to it.
Penn State is fine without Sitake, but Sitake may not be better off without Penn State
Sitake was probably not the right fit for Penn State. He’s a proven winner, but the type of coach who is perfect at his alma mater. He almost certainly provides more value there than he would anywhere else.
That’s not to say he wouldn’t have won at Penn State, but if BYU was willing to pay him $10 million a year, and Campbell was willing to come for over a million dollars less, the value lies with Campbell. That million can go into his coaching staff or into the roster. Now that you can pay the players, it’s worth seeking the more affordable coach if they’re on a comparable level.
Penn State did that with Campbell, and while the jury is still out, it looks well-positioned to remain a Big Ten contender. Sitake took the big payday to stay home, and already, he’s passing the hat to go from Big 12 contender to real national title threat.
This isn’t to say Sitake regrets his decision. But if his goal is to win a national championship, then he may have missed his chance.
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