This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo met with Brigham Young University's school president and athletic department officials, toured the campus and discussed BYU's coaching vacancy on Monday.
But the coach had not decided as of late Monday evening whether he would take the job, according to his agent, Evan Beard, who told the Capital Gazette newspaper that there is no timetable for a decision.
Beard told the Washington Post that reports that Niumatalolo's departure from the Naval Academy was imminent were "premature."
It is not clear whether BYU has offered Niumatalolo the position, although most people familiar with college football coaching searches say it would be unthinkable for an established head coach of Niumatalolo's stature to travel to a prospective school's campus for a mere interview.
Meanwhile, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned that BYU is still talking to Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake about the opening and that Sitake is scheduled to interview in Utah for the job on Tuesday. A source with close ties to Sitake told The Tribune that BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe interviewed Sitake by telephone last week after Niumatalolo initially expressed a lack of interest in leaving Annapolis.
Wearing a Navy sweatshirt and accompanied by his wife, Barbara, Niumatalolo arrived in Salt Lake City Sunday night but was not greeted by BYU officials at the airport. He met with BYU President Kevin Worthen and BYU Vice President of Advancement Matthew Richardson on Monday morning at the school's Administration Building.
Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk told the Post that it may take some time before Niumatalolo makes his decision.
"He was not going to make any decisions until he came back to Annapolis," Gladchuk told the newspaper. "So it is going to be at least another full day or so."
Mangum's memory
Freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum will get his first taste playing in the BYU-Utah rivalry on Saturday, but it won't be his first time seeing the rivalry game in person. Mangum said the first BYU-Utah game he attended was the famous Beck-to-Harline game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2006, won 33-31 by BYU when quarterback John Beck found tight end Jonny Harline alone in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Mangum said he and his siblings were surrounded by Utah fans who were "giving us a hard time" the entire game.
"When it ended, we were the only ones cheering," he said. "Everyone else was dejected. That was a crazy game and definitely one I will remember."
Briefly
Referees from the Mid-American Conference will officiate the Las Vegas Bowl, as assigned by the NCAA. … BYU will play in its 11th consecutive bowl game on Saturday, one of only 11 programs in the country able to make that claim. The Cougars are 6-4 in bowl games in that span, trailing only Florida State (seven) for bowl wins since 2005.
Twitter: @drewjay