PROVO — It wasn't just an announcement. It was a homecoming.

Kalani Sitake held his first press event as the man in charge of BYU football this week. Here are six takeaways from his meeting with media, fans and alumni.

Sitake is a BYU guy

Everyone knows Sitake played for the Y. under LaVell Edwards. Since that time, however, he spent a decade on the staff of the Cougars' main rival, Utah. Though Sitake never spoke ill of his alma mater, there were some questions about whether he had fully become a Ute.

Sitake answered that question emphatically in his opening statement when he said, "I never left. I've always been a part of BYU, always bled blue."

While former head coach Bronco Mendenhall embraced (sometimes perhaps overly so) the unique culture of BYU, he also spoke openly about when he played for Oregon State, the defining moment of his career was beating BYU. It will be nice to have a guy who sweated and bled for the program again.

Recruiting is going to be a major emphasis

In his comments prior to handing the mic over to Sitake, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe mentioned that one of the major reasons Sitake was hired is his ability to recruit. For his part, Sitake spoke in-depth about the importance of recruiting and how the ability to recruit top talent will be a major factor in whom he selects to be his assistants.

Mendenhall had a unique take on recruiting and some of his staff members were not known for their ability to connect with top talent. In Mendenhall's view, recruits had to sell him on what they could do for the program and not the other way around. This approach hit home with some talented recruits who wound up at the Y. However, some fans and ex-players felt like this approach harmed recruiting and limited what kind of athletes would come to Provo. Whether or not Sitake's approach will be more effective only time will tell. One thing is certain, though: recruiting will be much different under Sitake than it was the last 11 years.

Sitake can take criticism

Mendenhall did a lot of great things during his tenure. He cleaned up the program's image after it had taken a major hit due to off-field incidences that involved the legal system during Gary Crowton's reign. Mendenhall also won. A lot. In 11 seasons, he won 99 games. There is a lot to praise about the Mendenhall era. However, one thing that Mendenhall struggled with was handling criticism by fans and the media. He often spoke bitterly about the conditional support of fans and media members and often had an adversarial relationship with both.

Sitake, on the other hand, mentioned in his press conference that he understands fans' criticism because he was a BYU fan who sometimes criticized the coaching growing up. He stated that it's his belief that criticism shows passion. This seems like a healthier approach to handling criticism than Mendenhall took and it will serve him well in his relationships with fans and the media.

Sitake wants his players to play with an edge

Mendenhall had some terrific defenses during his time at BYU. One of the calling cards of his defenses was how physical and aggressive they were. He stated that he told his players "when in doubt, hit somebody." This mindset is perhaps part of the reason BYU has been labeled as a dirty team.

Don't expect that edge to evaporate under Sitake. He said that the word "aggressive" is what he wants to describe his defenses. Later, a reporter said that he noticed Sitake has a mean streak when it comes to football. Sitake took this as a compliment and said he wants to see the same from his players.

Sitake is humble

Sitake thanked everyone from his Pop Warner coaches to his wife to his myriad of cousins and stated that his success had come from the sacrifices of many people in his life. He made it abundantly clear that he was honored by the chance to be the head coach and that it fulfilled a lifelong dream. Sitake's humility was endearing and will make it easy to root for him.

Sitake is ready for the job

Sitake's humility should not be taken as a lack of confidence. Anyone who saw the press conference could see he is confident in his abilities to coach, recruit and pick a staff. There will definitely be some growing pains as this is his first go-around as a head coach but BYU took a chance on unproven guys in Edwards and Mendenhall and things went well in both of those instances. Sitake is ready.

Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via twitter @DylanCannon11. .

Related topics