The Penn State Football program is in line to make a massive coaching change for the 2024 season. Per Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the Nittany Lions expect to ink Kansas Jayhawks’ Andy Kotelnicki as their next offensive coordinator.
SOURCE: Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is expected to become the next OC at Penn State.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 30, 2023
Penn State fired former OC Mike Yurcich in November this season after the team’s embarrassing 24-15 home loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Yurchich joined Penn State as their play-caller in 2021 after a one-year stint as the Texas Longhorns OC.
Andy Kotelnicki: Coaching Career
Andy Kotelnicki played center at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 2001 to 2003 before immediately shifting to coaching. He started as an offensive assistant with Western Illinois from 2004 to 2005 before returning to River Falls as the offensive coordinator. He spent four seasons with his alma mater before holding the same position at the University of Mary from 2011 to 2013. After a brief stop at Wisconsin-Whitewater with the same job title, Kotelnicki earned his first Division I play-calling gig with the Buffalo Bulls of the MAC.
The Buffalo offensive struggled under Kotelnicki during his first three seasons before making massive strides in 2018. The Bulls scored 34.6 points per game, the 29th-best mark in the NCAA. Quarterback Tyree Jackson was fantastic, throwing for 3,131 yards and 28 scores against 12 picks in 14 games. He also added seven scores on the ground. Buffalo scored 30-plus points per game the following season despite the departure of Jackson.
This time, Kotelnicki leaned heavily on the run game, with running back Jaret Patterson rushing for a conference-best 1,799 yards. Buffalo’s best season under Kotelnicki came in the shortened COVID-19 season, with the team averaging a ridiculous 43.4 points per game in 2020. Paterson and fellow running back Kevin Marks nearly combined for 2,000 rushing yards in seven games.
Andy Kotelnicki has spent the past three seasons with the Kansas Jayhawks, helping elevate their usually lackluster football program. After a one-win first season, the Jayhawks won six games in 2022, with their points per game average nearly jumping double. Quarterbacks Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean combined for 32 touchdowns against eight picks, with running back Devin Neal eclipsing 1,000 yards rushing. 2022 marked the first time Kansas scored north of 35 points per game in a season since they went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl in 2007. Kotelnicki again got solid production from Bean, Daniels, and Neal in 2023. The Jayhawks enter bowl season scoring 33.6 points per game, the 30th-highest average in college football.
Penn State Football: James Franklin Brings in Kotelnicki to Elevate Drew Allar
James Franklin will turn to Kotelnicki to unlock the next evolution of sophomore quarterback Drew Allar. The 19-year-old threw for 23 touchdowns against just one pick this season while rushing for another four touchdowns. Despite the phenomenal surface numbers, he struggled in big games, including going 28 of 65 for 260 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s losses against Ohio State and Michigan. The completion percentage and yards per attempt were concerning, with Penn State fans taking issues with former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s lack of aggressiveness and play-calling sequencing. Allar joined Penn State as a top prospect in 2021.
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