Kalani Sitake is entering his ninth year as head coach with the BYU Cougars and it’s hard to imagine anyone else leading the program in their second year in the Big 12. It was a tough inaugural season, but with a few staff changes and solid roster, the Cougars look poised to have a bounce back year in 2024.
BYU is a unique job with a passionate fanbase, so it takes a special staff to coach there. Here’s what the BYU coaching staff will look like in 2024.
BYU Cougars’ Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Kalani Sitake
Kalani Sitake is an BYU man through and through. He initially played for the Cougars in 1994 before going on his church mission and returning in 1997, finishing his career in 2000. Though he made a quick stop as the defensive backs and special teams coach at Eastern Arizona in 2001, he quickly returned to BYU as a graduate assistant in 2002.
Sitake then spent two years coaching at Southern Utah as the tight ends coach, also coaching running backs (2003) and offensive line (2004).
However, he became a renowned coach at Utah, where he coached linebackers from 2005-2014. He added defensive coordinator duties in 2009 and an assistant head coaching title in 2012. After one year as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Oregon State, Sitake was announced as the head coach of BYU in December 2015.
Sitake is the first FBS head coach of Tongan descent and the third BYU head coach who played for the team in college. Sitake has overseen the Cougars through conference realignment, taking the Cougars from the FBS Independents ranks to the Big 12.
Sitake has a career record of 61-41, though the Cougars struggled in their first year in the Big 12. An Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year finalist in 2020 and 2021, Sitake has coached multiple All-Americans at both Utah and BYU.
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Aaron Roderick
Aaron Roderick played at BYU with Sitake in the late 1990s and has coached under him since 2018, first as passing game coordinator, then as offensive coordinator starting in 2021.
Roderick has been with Sitake for almost 25 years, diverging for only two years in that span. Like Sitake, he started in major college football as a graduate assistant in 1999, working with linebackers, then receivers in 2000 and 2001.
He left for Snow College in 2002, where he coached running backs. After just a year apart, he reunited with Sitake at Southern Utah in 2003 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
He left with Sitake for Utah in 2005, coaching receivers and adding passing game coordinator duties in 2012 before switching to quarterbacks in 2014. In his last two years there (2015-2016), he added co-offensive coordinator duties.
Roderick took a year off from coaching before Sitake hired him as BYU’s quarterbacks coach, where he’s served since 2018, picking up offensive coordinator duties in 2021.
Roderick is best known for his work with Zack Wilson, who finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2021 and was named an All-American. His offenses have been prolific and he’s put numerous offensive players in the NFL.
Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/Safeties, Jay Hill
Jay Hill came to BYU to reunite with Sitake in 2022 after serving as the head coach at Weber State from 2014 to 2022.
Prior to that, he was at Utah with Sitake and Roderick, coaching corners in 2005-2006 and 2010-2011, tight ends (2007-2009, 2013) and running backs (2012). Hill also has plenty of special teams experience as he helped coach that unit at Utah.
Some of the top players he’s produced include Eric Weddle, R.J. Sanford and Brandon Burton.
As a player, he was All-Mountain West and led the conference in interceptions in 1999. He played briefly in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.
Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Ends Coach, Kelly Poppinga
Another BYU alum, Kelly Poppinga was one of the top linebackers in school history, making All-Conference as both a junior and a senior, racking up 113 tackles in 2007.
After a brief stint in the NFL, Poppinga returned to BYU in 2009, starting as an intern and eventually coaching linebackers in 2011 and special teams in 2013.
He left to join Bronco Mendenhall at Virginia in 2016, coaching linebackers, special teams, and picking up edge rushers in 2021. Now, he coaches special teams and defensive ends at BYU.
He’s mentored NFL stars like Kyle Van Noy and Fred Warner and his special teams units have been consistently above average.
Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator, Fesi Sitake
Fesi Sitake came to BYU before Hill in 2018 after coaching under him at Weber State. His units have consistently been some of the best in the country, and recently, he’s turned walk-on Dax Milne into one of the country’s top receivers.
Puka Nacua led all rookie wide receivers in yards in the NFL last season after playing multiple seasons under Sitake, who started his coaching career at Southern Utah in 2011, immediately after graduating from there.
Tight Ends, Steve Clark
Like many others on the coaching staff, Steve Clark graduated from BYU in the 1990s and has coached at several of Utah’s most prominent institutions. He was primarily a quarterbacks coach under Hill at Weber State but has coached tight ends since being hired on Sitaki’s initial staff in 2016.
Clark has been an integral part of BYU’s potent passing attack for the last decade and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Linebackers Coach, Justin Ena
Justin Ena played with several of the staff at BYU in the late 1990s but is a recent hire for Kalani Sitake. He joined in 2023 after coaching the defensive line at San Diego State before that.
In his 16-year coaching career, Ena has coached at Dixie State, Utah Tech, Eastern Washington, Weber State, Utah State, and others.
Offensive Line Coach, Darrell Funk
Unlike several of the other coaches on staff, Darrell Funk wasn’t a Cougar, instead playing for the Colorado State Rams. He joined the BYU coaching staff in 2021 after taking a year off following a stint at UTSA.
In his more than 30-year coaching career, he’s been the offensive line coach at Michigan, Purdue, San Diego State, and numerous others.
Cornerbacks Coach, Jernaro Guilford
Jernaro Guilford played for BYU in the early 2000s but took nearly 10 years away from football before beginning his coaching career at Whittier College in 2012. He was part of Sitake’s initial staff at BYU in 2016 and has coached corners since.
As a player, he saw action in 37 games, earning All-Conference Honors as a cornerback in 2001.
Running Backs Coach, Harvey Unga
Harvey Unga was a standout running back at BYU from 2006-2009, playing in the NFL for five years after that. When Sitake was hired at BYU, Unga started his coaching career as a graduate assistant, ascending to a full-time running backs coach by 2020.
KEEP READING: BYU Cougars’ Top 10 Returning Players in 2024
Unga was instrumental in the development of Tyler Allgeier, who finished with 36 touchdowns, tied with Unga for second in school history.
Defensive Tackles Coach, Sione Po’uha
Sione Po’uha played under Sitake at Utah in the mid-2000s and went on to have a successful eight-year career. Since he left early for the draft, Po’uha returned to Utah to finish his degree so he could coach at the DI level.
Po’uha spent six of his first seven years coaching at Utah before moving to BYU in 2022. In his career, he’s coached numerous All-American defensive tackles.
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