Penn State targeting Kalani Sitake: Nittany Lions eye longtime BYU coach to replace James Franklin

Penn State is targeting BYU's Kalani Sitake to fill its coaching vacancy, according to CBS Sports' Chris Hummer. The Nittany Lions' brass turned their attention toward Sitake to replace James Franklin, who was fired Oct. 12, six games into his 12th season on the job. 

The news of Penn State's pursuit of Sitake comes ahead of No. 11 BYU's showdown with No. 5 Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game -- a matchup with a College Football Playoff bid on the line. Sitake, 50, has served as BYU's coach since 2016 and guided the program's transition from the independent ranks to the Big 12. 

The Cougars have a combined 22-3 record over the past two seasons, including an 11-1 (8-1 Big 12) mark heading into Saturday's conference title game. Sitake has an 83-44 overall record at his alma mater and the Cougars have reached the 10-win mark in four of his 10 seasons on the job. 

Sitake was asked about the Penn State job on Monday, but declined to answer directly. 

"We're trying to finish the season the right way, it's on us to be our best to play against Texas Tech," Sitake said. "So as we go through this week and go through the prep, I also want them to live through all the moments and have a great experience and not waste a moment thinking about anything else. ... This is a great distraction to have, let's be honest. But you know, right now we need to be focused on making sure that we're giving our best shot in this game against Texas Tech."

If it lands Sitake, Penn State gets an experienced coach to succeed Franklin, who was hired by Virginia Tech just weeks after being fired. Penn State began the season ranked No. 2 on the heels of a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, but sputtered to a 3-3 start with losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft fired Franklin a day after the home loss to Northwestern. 

Kalani Sitake to Penn State? BYU coach addresses job rumors ahead of Big 12 Championship Game

Cody Nagel

Penn State won the Big Ten in 2016, played in seven New Year's Six bowl games and reached the 10-win mark six times under Franklin, but could never quite get over the hump while struggling mightily in games against top competition (Franklin was 2-21 vs. top 10 opponents), notably conference rivals Ohio State and Michigan. 

Kraft has identified Sitake as the coach to push Penn State into national championship contention. But is he a fit in Happy Valley? 

Sitake has never coached outside the Mountain or Pacific time zones and was widely viewed as a BYU lifer, tied to the program culturally and personally in ways few Power Four coaches are to their schools. He played at BYU under LaVell Edwards and remains deeply connected to its identity as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But with Penn State's position in the Big Ten and access to greater resources and the College Football Playoff, Sitake may opt to make the move East. 

Penn State played out the season under interim coach Terry Smith. Smith, a Penn State alum and longtime assistant under Franklin, publicly campaigned for the job while leading the Nittany Lions to a 3-3 record, including wins in its final three games to get to 6-6 and bowl eligibility.