BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on Saturday during the 2025 Enshrinement Ceremony conducted at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawai’i.
One of three new inductees, Sitake, who is of Tongan ancestry, was joined in the 2025 Class of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame by former Utah and Pittsburgh Steeler offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu, of Tongan ancestry, and former Michigan State and Kansas City Chiefs/San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jim Nicholson, of Samoan ancestry. The three inductees were selected from a field of more than 100 nominees and eight finalists by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
On behalf of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, it is our great honor to recognize and celebrate the Class of 2025,” said Jesse Sapolu, Chairman, Co-Founder, and Inductee. “These men embody the spirit of Polynesia and have left an enduring mark on the game of football.”
Prior to the formal ceremony held at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Saturday, Sitake and the inductees were recognized on Friday during the annual Polynesian Bowl at Kunuiakea Stadium in Honolulu that was televised live on the NFL Network. A VIP reception on Thursday and celebration dinner on Saturday were among the other festivities taking place during the official Enshrinement Weekend.
“It’s an honor for me to be here and stand before you. It’s an honor to be inducted in the same class as Jim Nicholson and Chris Kemoeatu,” said Sitake during his enshrinement speech, where he expressed appreciation individually to many of his mentors and family members present at the event, including his strong, heartfelt overall connections to the community in Laie.
“I’m trying to not get too emotional. This place means a lot to me. I was born in Tonga, and a few months later we moved out here to Laie. This is the place that I grew up in and followed and cheered for Kahuku and cheered for BYU. This is the place that I learned everything. Laie Park is where I first picked up a football and a basketball and learned how to play the game. It’s the first time I learned how to have sportsmanship and to love people and how to take care of teammates and be a family. I was embraced by the whole community. I appreciate everybody here in this area for loving me and my family. … I want to give a lot of love to my family. Thank you for believing in me, trusting me and, also, for pushing me. … I want to thank God, above, my Father in Heaven, and Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for me. Thank you so much.”
Entering his 10th year at BYU, and 25th overall season as a college football coach in 2025, Sitake leads the football program he once played for under legendary College Football Hall of fame coach LaVell Edwards. A former Cougar running back (1994, 1997-2000), Sitake has guided BYU to a 72-43 (.626) overall record during his first nine seasons, including an 11-2 record in 2024 while finishing BIg 12 play at 7-2 in a four-way tie for first place atop the conference standings.
Sitake has guided BYU to double-digit victory seasons in three of the past five years while achieving a 45-18 (.714) record to boast the No. 8 winning percentage among all FBS coaches in that span.
This season the American Football Coaches Association named Sitake its 2024 Region 4 Coach of the Year and a finalist for AFCA National Coach of the Year. He was also recognized in 2024 as a semifinalist for the prestigious George Munger Award, which is awarded to the college football coach of the year. He was also named to the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award Watchlist and the Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List.
Sitake was previously recognized as an Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Finalist and George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award Semifinalist in both 2020 and 2021 after leading BYU to records of 11-1 and 10-3, respectively.
Born in Tonga and raised in Laie, Hawai’i and Provo, Utah, Sitake became the first FBS head football coach of Tongan descent when he was hired by BYU in December of 2015 as the first former player under the legendary LaVell Edwards to be named head coach. Sitake led the Cougars through their final seven seasons as an FBS independent to enter the ranks of power-conference football with membership in the Big 12 Conference starting in 2023.
The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame honors Polynesia’s greatest players, coaches, and contributors. Its permanent home is located at the Polynesian Cultural Center and was established in 2013 by Super Bowl Champions Jesse Sapolu and Ma’a Tanuvasa.
Sitake joins three other former BYU players who were previously inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, including Kurt Gouveia (2014), Vai Sikahema (2016) and Reno Mahe (2024).
No. 5 Cougar men’s volleyball takes another five-set victory at No. 6 Ball State
The No. 5 BYU men’s volleyball team took down No. 6 Ball State 3-2 (22-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17, 15-9) for the second straight night in Worthen Arena on Friday evening, sweeping the Cardinals and improving to 6-0 on the season. The pair of senior outside hitters Keoni Thiim and Luke Benson both earned season highs in kills, with 23 apiece.
“There was a lot of heart, grit and determination,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “It was an unbelievable job by our team. I can’t handle too many of those, but they stayed in it. Keoni carried an unbelievable load and did a phenomenal job. Down the stretch, others made plays too. Luke Benson made big plays and Teilon served well for us to get that cushion. Our block got the blocks we needed. It was a long one, but this is what you want at the start of the year. Ball State is a wonderful program with a great environment and coach, so credit to them.”
Benson led the match in digs with 11. Setter Tyler Herget registered a season-high of 53 assists, adding 10 digs.
The Cougars finished with a .317 hitting percentage, while Ball State hit at .259. It was an even match as BYU nearly outhit the Cardinals with 65 kills compared to Ball State’s 63. BYU registered 11 blocks to Ball State’s 10.
This is BYU’s best start to a season since 2020 when the Cougars won their first 16 matches in a row.
The Cougars trailed 2-1 in sets but ran away with Set 4 25-17 to force a fifth set for the second straight night against the Cardinals.
BYU found a three-point lead in Set 5 at 6-3, featuring two Cardinal errors. Another Ball State error gave BYU an 8-5 lead, with Ball State calling its final timeout of the match. A back set from Herget to Tufuga pushed BYU to a four-point lead at 9-5. BYU would burn a timeout to regroup once the score reached 10-7, with the Cougars still grabbing hold of the lead. Benson emerged from the back row for a kill to give BYU a match point at 14-9, and a Ball State attack error handed the Cougars a 15-9 win, obtaining a 3-2 victory.
BYU will face another team on the road next week, traveling to California to face UC Irvine on Wednesday, Jan. 22 and Friday, Jan. 24. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. PT and stream live on ESPN+.
Cougar women’s basketball loses at Texas Tech, Gibb honored again
The Cougars’ second-half comeback came up short as BYU fell to Texas Tech 70-65 at United Supermarket Arena on Saturday night.
BYU led by one after the opening frame, but Texas Tech outscored the Cougars 21-10 in the second to take a 10-point lead into the break. BYU picked up the defensive pressure in the second half, forcing nine Lady Raider turnovers, leading to nine Cougar points.
Delaney Gibb and Amari Whiting led the BYU attack with 18 and seven second-half points, respectively. Hattie Ogden who provided valuable minutes off the bench, banked in a triple from the left with 27 seconds remaining to pull the Cougars within two, but it wasn’t enough as Texas Tech made free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.
Gibb led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-15 from the field and 4-for-7 shooting from downtown. She also added three assists and a steal in the loss, and was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season.
Whiting set a new career high in steals with five to go along with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Texas Tech’s backcourt duo of Bailey Maupin and Jasmine Shavers combined for 37 points to end the Lady Raiders’ five-game skid.
The Cougars’ next road test will come on Wednesday, Jan. 22 as they travel to Ames to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. The game is set to tip at 6:30 p.m. CT with the game broadcast on ESPN+ and BYU Radio.
