Kalani Sitake

Kelaokalani Fifita "Kalani" Sitake (October 10, 1975) is from Nukuʻalofa, Tonga and is currently the defensive coordinator for the Oregon State University Beavers football team. He played college football as a fullback for Brigham Young and graduated in 2000.

Coaching career

Sitake got his start as an assistant coach during the 2001 season when he worked as the defensive back coach and special teams coordinator at Eastern Arizona College. In 2002, he returned to his alma mater, Brigham Young, to be a graduate assistant for the defense. From 2003 to 2004, he worked at Southern Utah. During the 2003 season, he was the running back and tight end coach; he coached the offensive line and tight ends during the 2004 season.

His tenure at Utah started in 2005, where he coached the linebackers until being promoted to defensive coordinator. On December 7, 2008, Sitake accepted the position as Utah's defensive coordinator and linebacker coach. With his promotion in December of 2008. His formal duties began on January 3, 2009. Sitake became the first native Tongan named a defensive coordinator at an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school when the resignation of the previous defensive coordinator, Gary Andersen, became effective.^[1]

On December 23, 2014 Oregon State announced the hiring of Sitake as the team's new defensive coordinator.^[2] The hire reunited Sitake with Oregon State's head coach Gary Andersen, who Sitake had previously worked with at Utah.

References