BYU hosted Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo on Monday to show him around campus but also more importantly to interview for the vacant head coaching job. Monday came and went and the Cougars are still looking for a head coach as Niumatalolo flew back to Maryland Monday night.
According to his agent Evan Beard, Niumatalolo has not yet decided on if he wants to leave Navy to become BYU’s next head caoch.
“I suspect it will be a few days, but we shall see,” Beard told the Washington Post regarding Niumatalolo’s timetable for a decision. “It could happen in the next 10 minutes, but look, he’s not going to make a hurried decision.”
BYU athletics director Tom Holmoe is not standing pat and just waiting for Niumatalolo to say yes or no, and the coaching search turns to former Utah and current defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake.
Sitake is set to interview on Tuesday, per Dick Harmon of the Deseret News. This is not a shock that the Cougars would be interviewing the former BYU running, plus Sitake is well qualified having guided the Utah defense to elite levels with his time as their defensive coordinator over the past six years.
He is currently with Oregon State after leaving Utah this past year and is coaching with Gary Andersen who is not going to willingly let his defensive coordinator leave without putting up a fight.
“In my opinion, if BYU wants Kalani, they will have to come get him and make it a special deal,” Andersen told The Oregonian Monday night.
The location of the interview is unclear as Sitake was in Corvalis, Oregon, as of Monday and he is scheduled to be in staff meetings on Tuesday, so could very well be a phone interview or perhaps BYU flying out to Oregon to meet with him.
Make no mistake on who BYU wants to hire and that is Niumatalolo, but the Cougars are being prepared in case their number one option refuses their advances which is why the Cougars are moving forward with other qualified candidates on their coaching list.
This coaching search continues on and could for the next few days.
