Coach Kalani Sitake says BYU is ready to bounce back

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — After a disappointing 5-7 season, BYU is ready to bounce back. Cougar Head Coach Kalani Sitake says the team is driven by a losing season a year ago, the coaching staff benefits from a year of Big12 experience and defensive coordinator Jay Hill will be better in his second year in the program. Speaking with Adam Mikulich at the Big12 Media Days in Las Vegas, Sitake says position battles will strengthen the team on the defensive line, wide receiver and the quarterback position.

Kalani also believes adding a western wing to the conference helps BYU build rivalries and shorten travel. Watch Kalani Sitake's conversation with Adam Mikulich right here.

Other BYU interviews:

BYU Head Football Coach Kalani Sitake hosted his annual media appreciation tournament this week. After the event, Sitake and other coaches and players spoke about renewing the rivalry with Utah Football, as both teams will face off as members of the BIG-12 this coming season. BYU and Utah play November 9th at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The kick-off time is TBA. Check out their comments here.

Crew Wakely has had an unusual path to the starting safety job at BYU. The former Jordan High quarterback committed to Matt Wells at Utah State, but when he returned from his church mission Gary Andersen was the Aggies head coach. However, Gary was quickly replaced by Blake Anderson. Wakely moved to defense and then transferred to BYU. Wakely talks about the difference between playing offense and defense and the difference between Group of 5 football and Power 4 football. Plus, what do the Cougars have to improve to turn last year's 5-7 mark into a winning record? Watch the interview here.

For more BYU coverage watch Talkin' Sports weekend at 10pm on KUTV 2 and also weeknights on KMYU at 10:35 and replaying on KUTV 2 at 1:15am.