Football
- Title:
- Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
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Coaching Highlights
Full Bio Kalani Sitake (pronounced ka-lah-nee sih-TA-kay) was officially introduced to the Oregon State community Dec. 23, 2014 as the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator. Sitake spent the previous 10 seasons at Utah, the last three as the Utes’ assistant head coach/defensive coordinator. For much of the 2014 season Utah was ranked in the nation’s top 25 and defeated Colorado State in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Utah’s defense was among the best in the Pac-12 Conference ranking second for yards allowed and passing defense, and leading the NCAA for overall sacks with 55 and finishing sixth for tackles for loss per game with 7.9. He became the first Tongan defensive coordinator at the Football Bowl Subdivision when he was appointed in 2009, replacing current Beaver head coach Gary Andersen who took the head coaching position at Utah State. During Sitake’s stint as defensive coordinator, Utah played in four bowl games, winning three. The Utes also finished in the top 25 of the NCAA’s defensive statistical categories 20 times. Sitake coached numerous Pac-12 and Mountain West Conference honorees, including 2011 Morris Trophy (top Pac-12 lineman) Star Lotulelei and 2014 recipient Nate Orchard. He also mentored 14 NFL Draft picks during his time in Salt Lake City, including as a defensive coordinator 12 all-league players and three freshmen All-Americans. He helped Utah win seven of eight bowl games the Utes appeared in He began his career at Utah in 2005 as the linebackers coach, a position he would hold through the 2008 season. Utah was 13-0 in ’08, the nation’s only undefeated team, and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Utah ended that memorable campaign No. 2 in the country. Following his promotion to defensive coordinator in 2009 he helped Utah enter the Pac-12 for the 2011 season. In the first year of Pac-12 play the Ute defense led the high-octane offensive conference in four statistical categories, including scoring defense. In addition to working alongside Coach Andersen at Utah, the two first joined forces in 2003 at Southern Utah when Andersen was the head coach and Sitake the running backs/tight ends coach. Sitake began his coaching career in 2001 as the defensive backs/special teams coach at Eastern Arizona and moved to a graduate assistant position for defense at BYU in 2002. Sitake played fullback at BYU over a career that spanned seven years, including two serving on an LDS Church mission. He played as a freshman in 1994 and then started from 1997-2000. He was named BYU’s Football Scholar Athlete of the Year in ’98, Impact Player of the Year in ’99, and team captain and the most valuable running back in ’00. He signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2001 season, but was forced to quit the game due to a back injury. He is a 2000 graduate of BYU with a bachelor of arts degree in English. He and his wife Timberly have two daughters Skye and Sadie, and a son, Kelaokalani (KK). |
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