Andy Kolelnicki is the new Penn State Football offensive coordinator, arriving over from Kansas in December.

Kotelnicki ran the Jayhawks’ offense since 2021, and now arrives in Happy Valley needing to turn around one of the nation’s most disappointing offenses during the 2023 season.

In his debut season at Kansas, Kotelnicki took the offense from a lowly 104th rank to an impressive 6th place in just one year. This remarkable turnaround, which included over 65 plays of 20-plus yards and an average of 7.01 yards per play, led the Jayhawks to their first bowl game since 2008.

Even with the loss of starting quarterback Jalon Daniels to injury, the Kansas offense maintained a strong performance, ranking 8th this year.

With Kotelnicki at the helm, Penn State‘s offense is set for a major upgrade.

To give you some perspective, Kansas had over 65 plays of 20-plus yards this past season, while Penn State only
had 40. The Jayhawks averaged 7.01 yards per play.

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How Does Drew Allar Fit?

As the Nittany Lions‘ starting quarterback, Drew Allar stands to gain significantly from Kotelnicki’s play-calling.

A solid rushing attack, like the one Kotelnicki led at Kansas, will be a significant advantage for Allar.

With running backs like Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, Penn State’s running game is expected to be formidable.

A solid rushing attack takes the pressure off of Allar and opens up the passing attack.

Kotelnicki runs a multiple, pro-style offense that uses spread concepts. What will help Allar is Kotelnicki likes to adapt his offenses to the players; he has strong points.

How Andy Kotelnicki Will Bring Out Best in Drew Allar

One thing Kotelnicki will do is throw the ball down the field more.

Allar threw the ball down the field a little this past season.

During the 2023 season, Allar threw for 2,336 yards, completed 61.3% of his passes, 23 touchdowns, and
one interception. These are solid numbers, but Penn State Football failed to get the ball downfield as Allar’s average completion was 6.7 yards per pass.

Kansas averaged 9.4 yards per pass this year and the Jayhawks’ three top receivers averaged over 16 yards per catch.

With Penn State adding more talent at the receiver position, Allar’s pass-per-completion percentage should increase.

Also, with teams gearing up to stop the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack, it will open up the field for down-the-field throws. Allar must make more plays down the field to compete with the championship-level teams.

MORE: What Andy Kotelnicki Means for Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen’s 2024 Outlooks

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