Kotelnicki
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Andy Kotelnicki’s last trip to Beaver Stadium had a prime-time crowd booing the Nittany Lions at halftime.
As offensive coordinator at Buffalo in 2019, he had the Bulls — an enormous underdog — leading Penn State 10-7 at the break, putting up a stunning 345 yards in the first two quarters.
The Lions rallied for a lopsided win, but it’s safe to say the game left a strong impression on James Franklin.
Kotelnicki’s penchant for creativity and getting the most out of his talent at Buffalo and Kansas is set to land him a job on Franklin’s staff at a critical point in program history.
Penn State is expected to formally hire Kotelnicki as its new offensive coordinator on Friday, pending approval from the board of trustees’ subcommittee on compensation. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman first reported the impending move.
A public conference call for a “personnel matter” is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday following an executive meeting. Typically, these consist of a quick roll call with all members voting in favor of the new hire.
Kansas, meanwhile, announced it was promoting its quarterbacks coach to “co-offensive coordinator,” while making no mention of Kotelnicki.
Kotelnicki would replace Mike Yurcich, who was fired last month a day after a Lions loss to Michigan ended their hopes at a Big Ten title or a spot in the College Football Playoff.
A new era of the sport begins in 2024 with the playoff field expanding from four to 12 teams and the Big Ten adding four of the best programs from the Pac-12. Penn State is hoping Kotelnicki can distinguish the Lions in a schedule that includes a five-game stretch against UCLA, USC, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Washington.
Kotelnicki was a major factor in the rejuvenation of Kansas’ program, where he has served as offensive coordinator since 2021. The 43-year-old Minnesota native has been a top assistant for highly regarded head coach Lance Leipold for the past 11 seasons, following him as offensive coordinator from Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater to the FBS ranks at Buffalo and Kansas.
The Jayhawks had one of the most innovative offenses in the country as Leipold and Kotelnicki helped improve the program from one of the worst in the Power Five (23-118 from 2010-21) to reach a bowl game in each of the last two seasons.
Kansas went 8-4 this year and ranked seventh nationally among Power Five teams in yards per play despite needing to use three different quarterbacks because of injuries. Penn State ranked 30th. The Jayhawks were fourth in third-down conversion percentage compared to 38th for the Lions.
A week ago, Franklin laid out what he was looking for in a new coordinator.
“It’s who’s going to be great on third down? Who’s got the data to back up explosive plays and explosive offense?” Franklin said. “Because in college football nowadays, to just be able to go four yards a play is hard to do all the way down the field. A big one is data and information based on the people that have been able to score against their best competition. The best competition in whatever leagues they’ve come from.
“Overall, our numbers are pretty good. But we’ve got to make sure that we put ourselves in the best position, based on the teams that we need to beat, and be able to do that, and have the data to back it up and the evidence to back it up, and the experience to back it up. That’s really the biggest difference. And then, hopefully, someone that’s done it long enough that you have a true indication.”
BLUE-WHITE GAME SET
Penn State will likely have interim coordinators Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle continue to run the offense through the bowl game with the new hire spending time with the team in an observatory role in December.
That mean’s the public’s first look at the new offense will come in the spring at the Blue-White Game. Penn State announced Thursday that the 2024 edition of the annual scrimmage will be held on Saturday, April 13 at Beaver Stadium.
Kickoff time and TV details will be finalized at a later date.