{"id":3408,"date":"2026-07-07T23:08:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T23:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3408"},"modified":"2026-07-07T23:08:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T23:08:50","slug":"complacency-isnt-in-their-vocabulary-byu-football-insists-it-can-handle-lofty-expectations-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3408","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Complacency isn\u2019t in their vocabulary\u2019: BYU football insists it can handle lofty expectations in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FRISCO, Texas \u2014 In their first three Big 12 football media events as a member of the conference, the BYU Cougars were not much more than an afterthought, a novelty act trying to make the move up in competition and prove they deserved to be considered one of the big boys of the league, let alone college football as a whole.<\/p>\n

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Tuesday\u2019s proceedings at The Star, the practice home of the NFL\u2019s Dallas Cowboys, showed that\u2019s no longer the case. The Cougars aren\u2019t quite America\u2019s Team yet, or the hands-down favorite to win the Big 12. But they got genuine and attention, perhaps for the first time since they joined the league in 2023, at the annual talkfest.<\/p>\n

Running back LJ Martin drew some of the biggest crowds of reporters after winning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors last year and being named the preseason favorite to repeat that award this summer. <\/p>\n

Head coach Kalani Sitake was also a must-get interview for many media outlets and college football analysts after drawing very little attention, comparably, in his first three Big 12 football media day appearances.<\/p>\n

Indeed, as far as expectations are concerned, BYU has gone from the hunter to the hunted. There\u2019s no preseason media poll for the second straight year, but if there were, the Cougars would likely be picked to finish second, behind only Texas Tech.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy good friend Kalani has got himself a really, really good football team this year, I can tell you that,\u201d said Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire, who was easily the most sought-after coach of the eight teams who participated on Tuesday, for obvious reasons (the other eight conference schools will participate Wednesday, including Utah and new head coach Morgan Scalley).<\/p>\n

\n
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Sitake, who is entering his 11th season, is now the longest-tenured coach in the Big 12 after his friend and mentor, Kyle Whittingham, left Utah for Michigan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the old guy now, is what you are telling me,\u201d Sitake said.<\/p>\n

Sitake also packed his sense of humor to Frisco, entertaining reporters from the podium in one of the televised segments of the day and also in a \u201cbreakout\u201d session with a smaller group. <\/p>\n

The first head college football coach of Tongan descent made the usual self-deprecating jokes about his girth, but also lobbied to have Texas Tech\u2019s tradition of tossing tortillas on the field at the start of every football game reinstituted after it was banned by the league a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being there in Lubbock,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was really cool. I just wish that they could have thrown the tortillas. That would have been really cool. I mean, next time they can throw them, and we\u2019ll just decline the penalty. <\/p>\n

\u201cI promise you, I\u2019m good for it. There\u2019s some really cool traditions in college football, so don\u2019t cheat us out of the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitake also mentioned West Virginia fans singing \u201cCountry Roads\u201d after victories, and said he doesn\u2019t regret having his team stay on the field to watch that after a 37-7 loss in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a cool experience that even the (U.S. men\u2019s) soccer team has adopted that and made it their own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Can BYU handle loftier expectations in 2026?<\/h3>\n

Naturally, the most prevalent questions for Sitake and the six Cougar players who accompanied him to the Metroplex revolved around those lofty expectations, and how they will handle them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the key is to keep focusing on what we can accomplish (using) our work ethic,\u201d Sitake said. \u201cI\u2019m honored that I get to work with amazing young men that have great work ethic, and complacency is not in their vocabulary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is about finding ways to improve. We know that last year was (full of) some really cool things, some awesome success, but at the same time we know we can do better, we can improve, and so we are looking at the opportunities to just find a way, me as a head coach, to get these guys to play at their best 12 times.\u201d<\/p>\n

BYU has gone 23-4 the past two seasons and been in consideration for a berth in the College Football Playoffs both years only to fall short or get snubbed by the playoff committee, depending on one\u2019s judgement and perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still need to make mistakes in practice and make sure that we are aggressive in the way that we train,\u201d Sitake said. \u201cObviously, the season is going to require us to (handle) the physical part of the game too, and a little bit of pain. <\/p>\n

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I think all that\u2019s necessary. So, these guys are committed to get that done, and I\u2019m excited to be their coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quarterback Bear Bachmeier, offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell, defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa, linebacker Isaiah Glasker and defensive back Evan Johnson were also in Frisco, along with the aforementioned Martin.<\/p>\n

Mitchell, a preseason first-team offensive lineman this year, said the expectations will keep the Cougars motivated all season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt keeps us ambitious,\u201d he said. \u201cYou look at our last couple offseasons, and this is the first offseason where everybody\u2019s told us we\u2019re not going to lose most of our games.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo certainly you have to keep that humble and hungry aspect when people are telling you you\u2019re great and just stay rooted and remember why you\u2019re doing it, and who you\u2019re doing it for, and the brothers you got to your left and your right and the success you want them to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year ago, Tanuvasa was almost the sole focus of BYU\u2019s appearance at media days, because he had transferred from rival Utah and there were some inaccurate reports that he had disparaged his former program. That wasn\u2019t the case this year, much to his liking.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is much calmer,\u201d he noted, while also revealing that he and his wife are expecting their first child. \u201cThere are still some rumblings and stuff that have been communicated about my transfer, but I\u2019ve come to be myself with everything that I\u2019ve gone through. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been built up and made stronger thought it. I feel good about everything. I\u2019m excited to talk to whoever, whenever, and represent BYU the best that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tanuvasa also had a bit of good news for BYU fans: Safety Faletau Satuala, who broke his foot last month and had surgery, is progressing well and even playing a little bit of pickleball against teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m not even worried about it. I think everybody looks great, and I think everybody\u2019s healthy from what I know. I can\u2019t name a guy that\u2019s hurt right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athletic director Brian Santiago on expectations<\/h3>\n

Second-year BYU athletic director Brian Santiago also attended Tuesday\u2019s proceedings. <\/p>\n

Regarding what is expected to be another standout season for BYU, Santiago took the same approach as Sitake often does. It will all work out, he said, if the Cougars stay humble and hungry.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur responsibility in the athletic department is to make sure we have the right coaches in place, and we couldn\u2019t be more excited about Kalani leading out in this season where there will be a lot of expectations,\u201d Santiago said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut man, I don\u2019t think the excitement level (will drop off) when you come to LaVell Edwards Stadium from a fan experience standpoint. We\u2019ve got an unbelievable experience for Cougar Nation. I\u2019m just super excited to see how it plays out. I can\u2019t wait to get going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Santiago, who was deputy AD to Tom Holmoe \u2014 now a mission leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California \u2014 said he remembers a few years ago that BYU was picked to finish at the bottom of the conference. <\/p>\n

Times have changed, obviously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to credit Kalani and the whole coaching staff and the culture that they\u2019ve built with our football program,\u201d Santiago said. \u201cIn our previous time in the Big 12, we\u2019ve had no expectations and we\u2019ve done something remarkable. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve elevated this program, and really, the credit goes to Kalani and the culture he\u2019s built. The coaches have elevated this program to national relevance, knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff, and now this year there are a lot of expectations, so it\u2019ll be super interesting to see how, as a program, we handle those, but I\u2019m really confident in what Kalani\u2019s doing. I\u2019m very, very confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With expectations soaring for the 2026 college football season, BYU coaches and players were featured heavily at the Big 12’s football media day <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-byu-cougars"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Complacency isn\u2019t in their vocabulary\u2019: BYU football insists it can handle lofty expectations in 2026 - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3408\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Complacency isn\u2019t in their vocabulary\u2019: BYU football insists it can handle lofty expectations in 2026 - 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