Coach Kalani Sitake says BYU is ready to bounce back

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — After a disappointing 5-7 season, BYU is ready to bounce back. Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake said the team is motivated by a losing season last year, the coaching staff has a year of Big 12 experience and defensive coordinator Jay Hill will be better in his second year with the program. Speaking to Adam Mikulich at Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, Sitake said the position battles will strengthen the team at defensive line, wide receiver and quarterback.

Kalani also believes adding a West Wing to the conference helps BYU create rivalries and shorten travel. Watch Kalani Sitake’s conversation with Adam Mikulich here.

Other BYU interviews:

BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake hosted his annual media appreciation tournament this week. After the event, Sitake and other coaches and players talked about renewing the rivalry with Utah Football, as the two teams will face off as members of the BIG-12 next season. BYU and Utah will play Nov. 9 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Kickoff time is TBA. Check out their comments here.

Wakely’s team took an unusual path to BYU’s starting safety position. The former Jordan High quarterback committed to Utah State with Matt Wells, but when he returned from his church mission, Gary Andersen was the Aggies’ head coach. However, Gary was quickly replaced by Blake Anderson. Wakely moved to defense and then transferred to BYU. Wakely talks about the difference between playing offense and defense and the difference between Group of 5 football and Power 4 football. Plus, what do the Cougars need to improve on to turn last year’s 5-7 mark into a winning record? Watch the interview here.

For more BYU coverage, watch Talkin’ Sports weekends at 10 p.m. on KUTV 2 and also weekdays on KMYU at 10:35 p.m. and in replays on KUTV 2 at 1:15 a.m.