Penn State’s Top Target Revealed: Why Kalani Sitake Is Pat Kraft’s Pick

After nearly two months of searching, the Penn State Nittany Lions football team has found its candidate to replace former head coach James Franklin. On today’s BWI Live Show, we’ll discuss the news that BYU head coach Kalani Sitaki has emerged as the mystery candidate that athletic director Pat Kraft has targeted as the next leader of the Blue and White. What does this mean for the program? How good or bad of a fit is he? What are the qualities that lend themselves to his style? We’ll discuss your burning questions and comments on the show today.

Join the BWI Live Show at 10 a.m. on YouTube to join the live chat and be part of the show. We’ll be talking with fans throughout the 60-minute airtime. We’ll also finish the 2025 season by discussing Penn State’s wild win over Rutgers in the season finale.

If you haven’t yet, subscribe to the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel and enable notifications. When Kraft finally pulls the trigger on a candidate, we’ll be bringing you breaking news to discuss the impact and next steps of the process. You’ll also want to be dialed in for the recruiting and portal implications of the team’s transition to the next coach.

Penn State targets coach with few ties to program

The news that Sitake is the top candidate for Penn State has been met with very mixed feelings from fans. However, the surface-level comparison between BYU and Penn State is not the only thing at play. We’ll discuss the timeline of how Sitake became the top target, what he brings to the table, and what his coaching this week in the Big 12 Championship Game means for the Nittany Lions as a program.

We’ll also give you an initial scouting profile on Sitake as a leader and what our early impressions of his coaching are.

Next, we’ll dive into the timeline of events now that we know Penn State’s top target in the search. What does this news do for the transfer decisions of current players in a positive and a negative light? Will this affect the early signing day? How does the timing of the Big 12 Championship game and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff determine the outcome of this search?

We’ll discuss those questions and more!

Rutgers Recap

Finally, we’ll discuss the current team’s final game of the season against Rutgers. We’ll recap the offensive performance from the line and run game, plus discuss the maturation of Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Of course, we’ll dive into the defensive performance and what led to the team giving up over 500 yards in a wild shootout that ended on a defensive play.

Join the show live at 10 a.m. to be part of the action!