Penn State football announced the hiring of the sixth offensive coordinator under head coach James Franklin, selecting Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to run the offense in 2024.
News of Kotelnicki’s hiring was first reported by Bruce Feldman.
Before being the offensive coordinator at Kansas, Kotelnicki previously was the offensive coordinator at Buffalo under Lance Leipold for seven seasons.
At Buffalo, Kotelnicki helped the Bulls hold a 10-7 lead over Penn State at half in 2019 and out rush (184-78) and outgain (429-357) the 15th ranked Nittany Lions in an eventual 45-13 Penn State victory.
Kansas OC Andy Kotelnicki makes opposing safeties look like idiots almost every game.
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) September 9, 2023
No idea about his head coaching aspirations but the next program which can’t figure out offense might need to throw the bag at him.
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In 2023, Kotelnicki led the Jayhawks to a top 30 offense this season in total yards and scoring offense, including helping the Jayhawks score 38 points in an upset win over Oklahoma, even without prolific quarterback Jalon Daniels for most of the season.
The Jayhawks ranked 4th in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 33.8 points per game. In 2022 under Kotelnicki, Kansas ranked 21st nationally in scoring offense and 32nd in total offense and Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels was recognized on the All-Big 12 Second Team by the coaches.
Kansas also ranked second nationally in yards per play, behind only Ohio State in 2022, and tallied 41 explosive plays of 31 yards or more, ranking 7th nationally in that category.
What Hire Means for Drew Allar
Kotelnicki has never been a position coach in his coaching tenure and is not the quarterbacks coach for the Jayhawks.
However, Kansas does not have a dedicated special teams coach so the offensive coordinator does not have to coach a position group and the Jayhawks have their own quarterbacks coach.
With Mike Yurcich being the quarterbacks coach for Penn State along with being the offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, it will be interesting to see how that role is filled, whether by Kotelnicki or by another means.
Even without coaching quarterbacks, Kotelnicki’s offensive style should be favorable to Drew Allar.
Kansas’ offense this season ranks 17th in passing efficiency and 13th in third down conversion percentage. Kansas’ quarterbacks also combined for a 64 percent completion percentage on the season, almost three percentage points higher than Allar’s average this season.
Kansas’ offense was also very complementary this season, as Kansas’ rushing attack ranked 8th in rushing offense nationally. All in all, Kotelnicki’s offense should benefit Drew Allar and both of Penn State’s standout running backs next season.
MORE: 3 Things to Know About New Penn State Offensive Coordinator
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Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School
Location: Washington, DC
Experience:Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.
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