BYU Football

BYU announced Friday it's signed head football coach Kalani Sitake to a contract extension through the 2027 season.

Financial terms of the agreement weren't released, but the school described the new deal as "unprecedented." Cougars athletic director Tom Holmoe praised Sitake in a statement:

In recent days and weeks there has been a lot of movement among college football head coaches. Today, I'm thrilled to know that Kalani will continue to be our leader, coach and mentor going forward. In the past 50 years, BYU has had only four head football coaches. Consistency, creativity and culture have been our hallmarks. Kalani will continue to strengthen our football team culture and develop young leaders based on his emphasis of 'love and learning.' I'm grateful for Kalani and the Sitake family for their commitment to BYU.

Sitake, a former BYU fullback, returned to the program in 2016 when he accepted his first head coaching job. It followed 15 years as an assistant coach that included one season as a graduate assistant with the Cougars (2002), along with stops at Eastern Arizona, Southern Utah, Utah and Oregon State.

The 46-year-old Tonga native has compiled a 48-28 record across six seasons in Provo. The Cougars will wrap up their 2021 campaign Dec. 18 when they face off with UAB in the Independence Bowl after finishing 13th in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

BYU, an independent in football since 2011, is scheduled to join the Big 12 in 2023 to become a Power Five program. Sitake referenced the impending move in his statement after signing the extension:

I am grateful for the confidence that Tom Holmoe, President [Kevin] Worthen and the administration continue to have in my role leading the BYU football program. As both a former player and a BYU fan, it is an honor to be the head coach at this great university. I am blessed to lead a football program full of tremendous young men, outstanding coaches and staff and the best fans in the world. We're all excited about the opportunities ahead as we prepare to enter the Big 12.

The extension comes after Sitake spoke with Oregon about its head coaching vacancy earlier this week, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

It's the second new deal signed by the BYU coach this year. The program previously announced an agreement through 2025 in August.

The interest from Oregon combined with the Cougars' 10-2 record this season necessitated a second extension within a span of four months.

Sitake's deep roots in the program and the upcoming Power Five move gives BYU a chance to retain the coveted coach for the long haul despite what will likely be continued outside interest.

In the short term, a win over UAB later this month would move the Cougars to 4-1 in bowl games under Sitake.

The NCAA is investigating two "high-profile" NIL deals involving football players at BYU and Miami "for potential violations of the association's interim rules regarding new marketing rights for college athletes," according to Sportico's Daniel Libit and Eben Novy-Williams. 

The two deals might qualify as a pay-for-play setup, per Sportico, which is prohibited under NIL guidelines.

The BYU deal is reportedly in partnership with protein bar company Built, which provided compensation for every member of the football team. The Miami deal was with American Top Team, an MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym, which offered compensation to every member of the Hurricanes football program.

"We have communicated with the NCAA concerning the Built Bar NIL arrangement," Jon McBride, BYU's associate athletic director for communications and media strategy, told Sportico. "They have informed us they do not have any additional questions at this time. We will continue to monitor and abide by the NCAA interim NIL policy."

Miami told Sportico the school had not been contacted by the NCAA about the issue. 

Among prohibitions, NIL compensation cannot be given or offered to players based on their enrollment at specific schools, meaning it can't be dependent on their commitment to play for a school.

The NCAA's interim NIL policy took effect in June, allowing student-athletes to benefit from their names, images and likenesses. Student-athletes are allowed to engage in NIL activity that is consistent with the law of the state where the school is located. In addition, they have to report their NIL deals to their schools. 

BYU's dream start hit a speed bump on Saturday, as the Cougars were upset by unranked Boise State 26-17 for their first loss of the season. 

The 10th-ranked Cougars dominated the stat sheet with a 413-312 advantage in total yards, but they committed four turnovers, including two in Boise State territory, that proved costly. 

Broncos wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught five passes for 66 yards in the win. Their rushing attack racked up 140 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries and allowed them to control the clock. 

Saturday's win marks Boise State's first victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 since the 2010 Fiesta Bowl against TCU. 

BYU quarterback Jaren Hall did throw an interception on the team's final drive with under two minutes to play, but the first three turnovers came on poor execution. 

Tyler Allgeier fumbled the ball away at BYU's 24-yard line midway through the second quarter with BYU leading 10-3.

Boise State needed just four plays to get into the end zone and tie the score. Cyrus Habibi-Likio capped off the drive with an 11-yard drive. 

On the ensuing kickoff, Lopini Katoa lost possession of the ball and the Broncos recovered. The Broncos took a 17-10 lead five plays later on Andrew Van Buren's third-down score from one yard out. 

Two field goals put Boise State up 23-10 midway through the third quarter. BYU seemed poised to at least get a field goal on its first possession of the second half, but Katoa fumbled again at the Broncos' 18-yard line. 

Allgeier did get BYU within six points on a touchdown run with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. Boise State's ensuing possession sealed the win thanks to Jonah Dalmas' 22-yard field goal. 

Dalmas was put in position to even have a chance to kick the ball after Shakir caught a 35-yard pass with two defenders around him. 

Boise State (3-3) has had an inconsistent start to the season. It did play Oklahoma State and Central Florida close, losing both games by a combined six points. Head coach Andy Avalos got his first marquee win in his sixth game leading the program. 

BYU (5-1) fells from the ranks of the unbeaten, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the program. It already has wins over Pac-12 teams Utah and Arizona State, the latter of which is currently ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25.    

Notre Dame and BYU will make their way to Sin City in 2022.

The Fighting Irish announced Tuesday that next year's Shamrock Series game against the Cougars will be held October 8 at Allegiant Stadium, which is home to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Next year's game will be the 11th Shamrock Series matchup, and it will be the Irish's first game in the state of Nevada. Notre Dame is 10-0 in the series, which began in 2009, with its most recent win coming last Saturday over Wisconsin at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Allegiant Stadium will be the eighth venue for the Shamrock Series. In addition to Soldier Field, the games have been held at Lucas Oil Stadium, Yankee Stadium, FedEx Field, Fenway Park, AT&T Stadium and the Alamodome.

Notre Dame and BYU have met eight times, and the Irish lead the series 6-2. Their most recent meeting was in 2013, when the Irish won at home 23-13.

Notre Dame is ranked No. 9 and is 4-0. Starting quarterback Jack Coan has thrown for 986 yards and nine touchdowns. He exited Saturday's game with an apparent leg injury, but head coach Brian Kelly is optimistic that he won't miss any time.

"We got clean X-rays," Kelly said after the game. "It's a soft-tissue injury. It doesn't even respond like a high ankle sprain. So, we're pretty optimistic that we'll be able to see him back next week."

The Irish will face No. 7 Cincinnati at home on Saturday.      

UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Houston are all planning to submit applications to join the Big 12, which is looking to regroup after news emerged that Oklahoma and Texas plan to join the SEC.

Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger broke the news Friday, and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Heather Dinich confirmed it as well.

Sports Illustrated reported that the applications are expected to be in next week, and approval could happen as soon as Sept. 10, when the Big 12 presidents are scheduled to meet.

As for how the league structure might work, SI wrote the following:

In this scenario, the four teams will join the league by 2023 or, at the very latest, 2024, and may even compete alongside Oklahoma and Texas before those two powerhouses depart for the SEC, making for a couple of awkward seasons in a 14-team Big 12.

The timeline is fluid and has been described as optimistic, but not unrealistic. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has even gone on site visits, most recently taking a trip to meet with Houston officials on Thursday.

ESPN also noted that the potential expansion is moving very quickly.

"Things are moving very quickly," a source told ESPN Friday. "There's obvious momentum to get votes to the board."

The ESPN duo previously reported Thursday that the four aforementioned schools had informally contacted the Big 12 about joining.

The Big 12 has found itself in a bind after news emerged of Oklahoma and Texas' impending departures, but the conference was also left out of the newly formed alliance between the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC.

The SEC will clearly stand alone as the most powerful conference in college sports bar none when Oklahoma and Texas join, although the league has to contend with the alliance, which was formed in response to the SEC's power move.

That left the Big 12 as the lone Power Five conference that hadn't increased its power in some way. The natural move was to add schools, which appears to be moving at warp speed to keep up with the rest of the college sports landscape.

As for when those schools will join, American Athletic Conference members UCF, Houston and Cincinnati's most "realistic timeline" is 2024, per ESPN.

American Athletic Conference bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave and pay a $10 million buyout fee. In that scenario, joining by the 2023 season would be a long shot, but an earlier exit and higher buyout could be negotiated. The most realistic timeline, sources said, is 2024.

Sources told ESPN that those three schools have not told the AAC of their intentions.

BYU is an FBS independent but participates in the West Coast Conference for other sports. SI noted that the school must give the league advance notice if its intends to leave.

The Big 12 is reportedly looking into the possibility of adding BYU to the conference after losing both Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC beginning in 2025.

According to Max Olson and Andy Staples of The Athletic, the Big 12 is "seriously discussing" the possibility of BYU as a replacement for one of its big departures, although the talks are "very early in the process."

BYU has been an independent in football since 2011, but it was previously part of the Mountain West Conference, Western Athletic Conference, Skyline Conference, Mountain States Athletic Conference and Rocky Mountain Conference.

Olson and Staples noted that the Big 12 is hard at work to find potential new members since the conference is set to drop down to only eight teams when Oklahoma and Texas leave.

As part of those efforts, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades, Iowa State president Wendy Wintersteen and Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod have formed an expansion subgroup.

Several factors could make BYU an ideal fit in the Big 12, including the fact that it has experienced a great deal of success in football.

The Cougars won a national championship back in 1984, and they have won 10 or more games in a season six times since 2006. That included an 11-1 mark last season, concluding with a win over Central Florida in the Boca Raton Bowl.

BYU has also played in a bowl game and finished with a .500 or better record in 15 of the past 16 seasons.

It was also noted by Olson and Staples that BYU has proven to be a draw on television, which could make it a valuable addition.

From 2015-19, BYU averaged 1.64 million viewers per game in 16 games broadcast on ABC, Fox or ESPN. That wasn't far behind the Big 12 average of 1.786 million during that same span.

Also, BYU averaged 682,000 viewers in 20 games on ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1 or Fox Sports 2, while Big 12 games averaged only 482,000 viewers on the same channels.

It is possible interest could be mutual since BYU wants to be in a Power 5 conference as well, per Olson and Staples, although it is unlikely any official moves will be made in the near future.

On Thursday, the Pac-12 announced it was not pursuing expansion "at this time," which was a substantial win for the Big 12.

That means the Pac-12 won't try to poach any of the Big 12's teams, plus the Pac-12 conceivably would have been the Big 12's main rival in terms of recruiting BYU.

The BYU football program announced a partnership with Built Brands, a nutrition company, that includes name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements with walk-on members of the Cougars' roster to cover their academic tuition.

BYU provided a video of all 36 walk-on players finding out the news Thursday:

Tuition for a full course load at the private university in Utah is $6,120 per semester for a non-Latter-day Saint and $3,060 per semester for a Latter-day Saint during the 2021-22 academic year, according to the school's official website.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said he's happy the recent NIL changes are allowing all players, and not just the stars on each team, to benefit financially:

From the beginning of the NIL discussion, my hope was that changes to NCAA rules and regulations would provide a pathway forward for all players to benefit more fully from their name, image and likeness, especially walk-ons who sacrifice so much to make our program great. When [Built co-founder] Nick Greer called to tell me that Built was committed to entering into NIL deals which would pay our walk-ons enough money to cover their tuition for the full academic year, I could not hold back my emotions. I love these boys, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be partnering with a company that is equally committed to assisting BYU football in building a culture of love and learning while enhancing the experience for all players.

Built co-founder Nick Greer said the company is "excited" about the team-wide partnership, which includes 123 players signing NIL agreements with the company.

"Games are won when every single player lifts and supports each other with everything they've got," he said. "That is how we will all win."

BYU is coming off an 11-1 season in 2020 that saw it finish 11th in the final Associated Press poll following a win over UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl. Star quarterback Zach Wilson was then selected with the second overall pick in the NFL draft by the New York Jets.

The Cougars kick off the 2021 campaign Sept. 4 when they face off with Arizona at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson has reached out to three former New York Jets quarterbacks—Josh McCown, Chad Pennington and Mark Sanchez—to ask questions about what it's like to play for the franchise and inside the country's biggest media market.

Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network provided that tidbit and more details about Wilson's preparations ahead of the 2021 NFL draft, where he'll likely be the Jets' choice with the No. 2 overall pick, based on a conversation with his QB coach, John Beck:

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is the Jacksonville Jaguars' presumptive choice with the first overall pick, and the Jets are expected to follow by taking Wilson as part of a quarterback-heavy top 10.

The BYU standout put together a tremendous junior season in 2020. He completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards with 33 touchdowns and three interceptions across 12 games for the Cougars. He also recorded 10 rushing scores.

"Great staff. Love those guys," Wilson told reporters when asked about the Jets after his pro day workout in March. "Joe Douglas is a great guy. It was good to see him out here. They've got a good thing going."

Playing in New York is a different animal compared to any other U.S. sports market. Every mistake is amplified, and the pressure on Wilson's shoulders if he does come off the board at No. 2 will be even higher as Jets fans desperately seek an end to the team's NFL-high 10-year playoff drought.

Getting some insight from the likes of McCown, Pennington and Sanchez can only help as he prepares for what's to come in the months and years ahead.

Pennington and Sanchez in particular should both be able to provide some great information about the possible pitfalls as former Jets first-round picks who were able to find some success but couldn't quite attain franchise QB status.

Sanchez appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd earlier this week and provided a taste of the advice he'd pass along to Wilson:

"He's gonna be in a very different media market. You're gonna have to stack all those things, and there's gonna be a learning curve for each of those categories—whether it's media, the on-the-field stuff.

"So, my only fear with him was, a little too riverboat gambler when you don't have to be. When it's an easy just routine grounder to second, and you just flip it to first base, flip it to first base. Don't give me any around-the-back, you know, through-the-legs Harlem Globetrotters—just get the guy out."

Wilson has all the physical tools to succeed in the NFL, but it's hard to know whether he'll find long-term success with the Jets until he faces that first stretch of adversity in New York and is forced to bounce back when the headlines are already predicting his demise.

At least one NFL team has BYU's Zach Wilson as its No. 1 quarterback in the 2021 draft class over Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, according to Matt Miller of The Draft Scout.

"What he does as a thrower, and as a runner, is exactly where we are as a league right now," an NFL college scouting director told Miller. "He throws some of those 50-50 balls with his shoulders square to the defense after running around in the pocket and I'm seeing Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech all over again."

Wilson has been rocketing up draft boards after a 2020 season in which he threw for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 12 games, completing 73.5 percent of his passes and leading BYU to an 11-1 record. 

Suffice to say, more than a few folks are impressed with his game:

Other analysts, however, think we might want to pump the brakes on the Mahomes' comparison or the idea that he's a better prospect than Lawrence:

Lawrence, after all, won a national championship in his three years at Clemson and led the team to the College Football Playoff in each of those seasons. For his career, he threw for 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 40 games, completing 66.6 percent of his passes. 

"You hear everyone talk about generational talent," an NFL evaluator told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated regarding Lawrence. "Well, the only one I've studied who's like him is Andrew Luck. Between those two, I'd rank Andrew slightly ahead of Trevor. But it's close."

NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had a slightly different comparison, calling him "Deshaun Watson in [Justin] Herbert's body."

Suffice to say, Lawrence still seems likely to be the top overall pick when the Jacksonville Jaguars make their selection. But there apparently isn't a consensus on who should be the top quarterback on the board, with Wilson clearly impressing evaluators. 

BYU star Zach Wilson is declaring for the 2021 NFL draft.

Wilson released a statement Friday thanking his teammates and coaches:

The move was widely expected since the 21-year-old is pegged as one of the top quarterbacks available.

His stock couldn't have gone up much higher with another season in college. Improving upon the Cougars' finish would've been tough, too, because this year reinforced how Group of Five schools and independents not named Notre Dame are staring at a glass ceiling. 

BYU finished 10-1 and sat 16th in the final College Football Playoff committee rankings. That all amounted to a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl.

As much as Wilson might have wanted to compete in a New Year's Six bowl, that's a long shot in any given year for a program that isn't in a Power Five conference.

The Draper, Utah, native finished his college career with 7,659 passing yards and 56 touchdowns. He also ran for 642 yards and 15 scores.

His standout performance of 2020 came in a September victory over Troy, when he finished 23-of-27 for 392 yards and two touchdowns.

Wilson has the opportunity to become the highest BYU player selected in the NFL draft, an honor that currently belongs to Jim McMahon (1982) and Ezekiel Ansah (2013), who went fifth overall in their respective years. 

In his most recent mock draft for B/R, Matt Miller projected the Cougars standout at No. 4 to the Carolina Panthers.

On Dec. 16, Miller ranked Wilson as the fourth-best quarterback available and described him as a "bigger, less athletic Kyler Murray." He also shared this assessment from an NFL college scouting director: "He fits where the league is headed—playmaker with a big arm who makes a lot of wow throws and can win with his legs. I have no idea how ready to play he is because the scheme is backyard football and he hasn't played anyone."

Every year, a quarterback surges up draft boards as the regular season and pre-draft process unfolds. Sometimes you wind up with Murray or Patrick Mahomes; other times you get Blake Bortles or Daniel Jones.

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is widely considered the best draft-eligible player, and he'll almost certainly be the top pick if he declares. After that, the position gets a bit murky. Wilson, Justin Fields, Mac Jones and Trey Lance can all stake a claim to be No. 2.

The next few months for Wilson will be important toward alleviating the fears that his talent has been inflated by a perceived lack of competition at BYU and nudging him ahead of the pack.