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Ken Niumatalolo reportedly staying at Navy, will not become coach at BYU

Back to the drawing board for BYU

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo was in Utah on Monday for a much publicized interview with BYU. Many had speculated that Niumatalolo was in the driver's seat for the position, but the trip to Utah came and went without an accepted offer. Now, per Gene Wang of the Washington Post, it seems that BYU will need to look elsewhere, as Niumatalolo will stay at Navy.

Niumatalolo, one of only two LDS head coaches at the FBS level, would have been an exciting, if not potentially controversial hire for the BYU fanbase, given his extensive experience in option-orientated systems. Unless BYU is able to somehow convince Utah's Kyle Whittingham to head down south, and likely take a paycut, BYU will be looking towards an assistant coach to take over the program.

The obvious candidate at this point would be Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, who reportedly interviewed with BYU on Tuesday. If BYU isn't able to secure one of those two names though, the proverbial pickings get slim in a hurry.