How close was Kalani Sitake to leaving BYU for Penn State?

Kalani Sitake led the BYU Cougars Football program to one of the best seasons in school history last year. The 12-2 record came with two losses to Texas Tech in the regular season and again in the Big 12 Championship game.

Watching what was happening in Provo from afar, there's no secret that Penn State wanted Sitake as their next head coach. He heard what the Nittany Lions' officials had to say, but ultimately chose to stay at BYU for something bigger than himself.

This wasn't an easy decision, especially knowing positions like the one at Penn State don't come open very often. James Franklin held down the fort for over a decade at Happy Valley before his abrupt firing last year. However, Sitake has hit a point where it's not about chasing the next big opportunity.

“Well, first of all, I was really honored. And I think I've said a lot about it. I've had tons of respect for Penn State,” Sitake told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s a storied program and an amazing university. [Penn State’s pursuit] was, to me, it was a huge compliment. It was like, wow, you know, that they would consider me. And I met some amazing people with that whole process.

“But this is my alma mater. This is the school that I cheered for growing up. And then I got to play for an amazing head coach, LaVell Edwards, a legend. And I became a captain for him. And he became a huge mentor for me. And so, yeah, this is home. It’s an honor for me to have other schools that are interested in me, especially amazing places. But this, this is home.”

Sitake has built BYU into a contender. As relative newcomers in the Big 12, the Cougars being considered a contender at this point shows the value they bring to the conference. It also speaks to the winning culture Sitake has maintained on a solid foundation that came before him. So how close was he to leaving BYU for Penn State?

"It was happening,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told USA TODAY Sports. “The whole time I was hopeful that the university would step up and find a way of retaining him and they did."

This will be Sitake's 11th season as head coach in Provo with an 84-45 record overall. Each of the past two seasons, BYU has been right there in the final rankings as a threat to make the College Football Playoff. They were one win away from securing the school's first-ever playoff bid last season.

The hope for BYU is they'll be ready to repeat the success with a different outcome this time around.

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