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Did Kalani Sitake’s Offseason Demands Fuel Wild Rumors About BYU Athletic Director?

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iStockphoto / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kalani Sitake expressed unhappiness with BYU administration.


Wild rumors surrounding the firing of BYU athletic director Brian Santiago surfaced over the weekend in Provo. The noise grew so loud that the school made a public response on a Cougars message board.

Offseason comments made by football coach Kalani Sitake potentially fueled those false claims. Is he unhappy with administration?

Sitake would like more resources provided to his program given his history of success. He’s tired of doing more with less.

Kalani Sitake has BYU rolling.

The Cougars went 12-2 last season with a bowl win over Georgia Tech. They played for a Big 12 title against Texas Tech and just missed out on the College Football Playoff.

That followed an 11-2 campaign the season prior, one of four 10-win seasons in Sitake’s tenure.

With that said, he believes he can achieve more. He wants to see buy-in from the athletic department. He spoke on the topic with CougarSports during an offseason interview in late July.

“We’ve been given the challenge of doing the most with the least,” Sitake said. “So, you lean heavy on culture to win, but I think there’s a way you can actually increase your chances on both. You can get deep culture and be really strong as a football team, and there’s an opportunity that you can get some players that you normally wouldn’t have access to.”

BYU has financial support. The basketball team paid handsomely for its 2025 recruiting class, headlined by $5 million superstar AJ Dybantsa. Sitake wants to see some of that money come his way.

“We can do way more at a faster rate,” he continued. “These are very simple demands, (on pace) with other people in our conference. Not even Texas Tech, the others. If we get an even playing field with that stuff, I should be able to do more.”

Sitake was pursued by Penn State in the offseason, a program that prioritizes football. He rejected the Nittany Lions to return to Provo.

Despite that decision, there are still things he’d like to see change. He clearly does not feel like a priority. The timing of those comments was notable. Just a week after, wild rumors of about the BYU AD surfaced online.

Brian Santiago is not being fired.

The school clarified his status with the Cougars on a message board over the weekend. Santiago is not going anywhere, at least not at the moment.

Claims of his firing circulated social media in early August, just 15 months into the job. He was hired to replaced Tom Holmoe in May of 2025.

Santiago has been a part of the athletic department for the better part of three decades. He started in a coaching role with the basketball team in 1997 before transitioning into administration.

Since, he’s worked his way up the ladder, though his hiring was met with some criticism last spring.

Fast forward a little over a year, and there was smoke surrounding his future at BYU this summer. A fire might’ve been fueled by Kalani Sitake voicing his unhappiness.

For now, Santiago is safe. He was on hand at a recent soccer game alongside the school President and VP earlier this week. He is still employed by the university.

Santiago will soon be forced to address the remarks made by his head football coach. We’ll see if Kalani Sitake’s pleas result in additional support.