WACO, Texas — The American Football Coaches Association today named BYU head coach Kalani Sitake the FBS Region 4 Coach of the Year. Sitake has guided the Cougars to a 9-1 record and a No. 14 national ranking in 2024.
The other four AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year winners include Jeff Monken, Army West Point (region 1); Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (region 2); Curt Cignetti, Indiana, (region 3) and Spencer Danielson, Boise State (region 5).
Regional winners were selected by active members of the AFCA who vote for coaches in their respective regions. Regional winners then become finalists for AFCA National Coach of the Year.
In his ninth year at BYU, and 24th overall season as a college football coach, Sitake leads the program he once played for under legendary hall of fame coach LaVell Edwards. A former Cougar running back (1994, 1997-2000), Sitake guided BYU to a 61-41 overall record during his first eight seasons (2016-23) and has led the Cougars to a 9-1 start in 2024.
Early this season, Sitake was also named to the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watchlist and the Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List. He was also named Midseason Big 12 Coach of the Year by College Football Network.
Sitake is the first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent as well as the first former player under Edwards to be named head coach at BYU.
As an independent football program, Sitake guided BYU to P5 wins over Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, USC, Utah, Washington State and Wisconsin, including a 29-9 record during the final three seasons of independence from 2020-22. He then led BYU into its first season In the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
Sitake was recognized as an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Finalist and George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award Semifinalist in 2020 and 2021. He was also named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list in 2020.
The AFCA began recognizing district coaches of the year following the 1960 season. Prior to 1960, the Scripps-Howard Company had sponsored the program, which recognized one national Coach of the Year.
The AFCA will announce the 2024 FBS National Coach of the Year on Monday, Dec. 16.