Reports of Kalani Sitake interviewing for the head coaching vacancy at Penn State nearly broke the internet on Monday and was arguably the lest effective work day in the history of the Beehive state as BYU fans constantly refreshed their phones and computers to see the latest news about their head coach.

In the end, Kalani rejected Penn State and choose to stay at BYU and sign another long-term contract extension — despite signing a contract extension just last year. At this rate, Kalani will be locked in longer than the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40+ years.

That’s good news for Cougar fans.

Was I surprised by Sitake staying? No.

I tweeted out multiple times yesterday — during the height of all the social media panic — that Sitake wasn’t going anywhere (see here, here and here). If you’re on Twitter, be sure to give me a follow.

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As I mentioned, Sitake was going to use this to leverage a monumental change in BYU football. From higher assistant pay, more NIL funding and more resources/upgrades, Tuesday’s extension puts BYU in a position to be a national title contender for years to come. While the details of the contract are private, those close to the matter estimate that BYU is committing between $10-$15 million of NIL on top of revenue sharing. The new deal is also expected to pay Sitake roughly $9 to $9.5 million annually.

After some early bumps in his coaching career, including a 4-9 record in 2017, Sitake has elevated the program by winning at least 10 games in four of the past six seasons. In just the past two years alone, the Cougars have gone 22-3, are currently ranked No. 11 in the College Football playoff rankings, and are preparing to play in the Big 12 title game against No. 4 Texas Tech on Saturday.

The Cougars look to get revenge after falling in Lubbock in what is their only loss this season. Yet, despite an 11-1 record and a 2-1 record against Top 25 teams, BYU is on the outside looking in based on the playoff committee. It’s absolutely ridiculous, but the Cougars need to win Saturday or else they will be left out.

With Sitake’s extension, this wave of energy and momentum could propel the Cougars to a win Saturday. As I pointed out on Twitter, this feels very similar to 2021, when the Cougars got an invite to the Big 12 and then followed it up ight after to defeat rival Utah in one of the biggest games in years. Will we get a repeat performance, I think so.

Here’s a look at how the sports world reacted, including players, fans, and national media:

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