I think for me the fall after the 2020 and 2021 seasons is the biggest indictments of Kalani as a HC. By the end of 2021 it seemed to me reasonable to conclude that Kalani had become BYU’s HC at a tough time to recruit and win given the independent status and dealing with Utah in the peak of Whitingham’s tenure. It seemed to me that Kalani was actually recruiting well and collecting talent-regardless of what his rankings were and had really guided BYU well through a difficult situation. The team was improving and finally a Big 12 invite had materialized. Then BYU regressed in 2022 and 2023. I understand that certainly in 2023 the schedule got more difficult but the drop off may indicate that Kalani is unable to really sustain success for whatever reasons. I am not just talking wins and losses but the blowouts and feeble performances.

This is an important year for Kalani and BYU football. Qualifying for a bowl game and minimizing blowouts can go a long way to supporting that the team is improving. Falling short of a bowl game likely puts him in a situation where 2025 could be his final year at BYU.