What was Sitake’s biggest demand during his contract negotiations? More money for his assistants and recruiting staff. My information is from a close friend on the previous staff, but I was always surprised at the great the return on investment, considering BYU’s budget requirement of always being in the black.
It is no secret that outside recruiting of LDS athletes has really become competitive. Schools are recognizing that a mission is worth the wait because of the leadership they gain. They also know of the Polynesian LDS connection, and instead of Utah and Hawaii being competition, BYU is recruiting against USC, Alabama, Oregon, Texas and just about. every major program. Programs with unreal recruiting money and teams.
BYU can’t offer every LDS kid and then wait until they decide on the big schools, especially if they have a sure commit from a kid that is one star less and willing to do anything for that scholarship and has the potential to be just as good. They have to be realistic. Sitake’s staff has not been shy about going after the 5 and 4 star players, but been very successful with those local 3 and 4 star players that they target with limited resources. With the influx of Big 12 money, I look forward to seeing that recruiting budget increased and more staff hired. The fact that they are getting big transfers and visits from a few 5 star recruits, one not even LDS, says a lot.