Report: BYU DC Ilaisa Tuiaki Interviewed for Montana State HC Opening

Could BYU have a new defensive coordinator in 2021?

A report from Skyline Sports says that Ilaisa Tuiaki is a candidate for Montana State’s vacant head coach position. The report states that “Tuiaki was a part of the Zoom interview process with the MSU committee per three sources last week.” Tuiaki is one seven candidates that Skyline Sports mentions, along with names such as former NFL HC Jeff Fisher and Cal Special Teams Coordinator Charlie Ragle.

Montana State’s head coach position as been open since January 22 when Jeff Choate left to become the co-defensive coordinator and Inside Linebackers for Steve Sarkisian’s new staff at Texas. Choate had been MSU’s head coach since 2016.

Tuiaki has been BYU’s defensive coordinator since Kalani Sitake came to BYU in 2016. Some fans have lamented his seemingly unaggressive style at times, but BYU finished with a top 10 defense in 2020 and a historical 11-1 season.

If Tuiaki were to leave, Kalani Sitake would likely have a large pool to choose from due to his numerous connections on the defensive side of the ball he’s accumulated over the years. Montana State has not given a timeline for when they expect to fill the vacancy, but they appear to have interviewed most, if not all, of the prospective candidates.