Penn State's New Offensive Coordinator Is Ready to Get Unique
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State’s coaching staff is following a common messaging theme to install the playbook this spring. James Franklin and his assistants want players to understand the “why,” not just the how, behind every play.
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will be extremely hands-on in teaching his players why. At Penn State football practice Tuesday, Kotelnicki's voice was one of the loudest echoing through Holuba Hall. He constantly praises good reps and isn’t afraid to make someone redo a drill.
“There's three things that are really important when you're trying to get people to do something, like an objective. It's what, it's how and it's why,” Kotelnicki said after practice. “A lot of times what you really want to do as a coach, you wanna spend a lot of time on the how, which is really important. None of those stages is less important than the other. But if you don't start with why and you don't start with what, the how gets lost.”
If you asked, Kotelnicki would tell you that carefully explaining the why has changed in coaching over the last 15 years. The former Kansas and Buffalo offensive coordinator occasionally will ask his players, especially quarterbacks, a pop quiz in meetings. That’s a chance for him to receive feedback and ensure the how, what and why are getting through.
The other part of Kotelnicki’s move to Happy Valley is becoming the “head coach” of Penn State’s offense. Across each of his coordinator hires, Franklin has campaigned for what he calls a head coach of their respective units, a major reason Penn State has often sought former head coaches for openings. Kotelnicki said that starts with holding himself accountable for anything that happens on his unit, from his staff through the players.
“If something happens that's not good for us on offense — a dropped pass or whatever, a missed block — I don't blame the player right away anymore. I did probably when I first started coaching,” said Kotelnicki, in his 21st year as a college coach. “I really look at myself and say, 'We need to drill that more. Or, I had the wrong guy on the field at that time.'”
The energy Penn State’s offense has brought to spring ball seems to have it well prepared to embrace the why of Kotelnicki’s scheme. Franklin has been impressed through winter workouts and a pair of padded sessions. And he’s been equally impressed with Kotelnicki’s teaching style as the Lions install more and more of the offense.
“I just see a lot of fight. I think our offense is challenging our defense. I think they're really emotionally invested and having fun with it at practice,” Franklin said. He added that Penn State’s rushing attack is largely similar to last year, while the way things are presented offensively — with pre-snap motion, for example — can challenge defenses.
As for last season’s offensive struggles, largely in the passing game, Kotelnicki has been encouraged by his receivers. The group, which added high-profile transfer Julian Fleming to a bevy of returners, has a chip on its shoulder, is progressing really well and should surprise some people, the coordinator said.
“They have committed themselves to improving daily, and it's very evident. We've challenged them physically and mentally more than they have been, at least according to their feedback,” Kotelnicki said. “And they're responding super well. We're making it hard on them, and they're really digging into it and doing a good job.”
And the guy throwing them the ball? Drew Allar is “yearning to improve all the time” as he enters his second year as starter.
“We want our players to learn how to self-reflect. And if you can learn to do that — in my estimation, this is not scientific — I think that makes you better than 97 percent of the people out there,” Kotelnicki said. “Because 97 percent of the population has never looked in the mirror and said, 'This is what I need to improve on.' And [Allar] embodies the idea of looking in the mirror, taking ownership — good or bad — and growing and improving.”
Franklin spoke at length after firing Mike Yurcich last fall about wanting his offensive coordinator to use the roster's talent rather than force the talent to conform to scheme. That remains a hot-button topic this spring, but it appears Franklin and Kotelnicki are seeing eye-to-eye.
“I mean this: Any player that can help us win games on our offense, we will find a way to utilize them. If we've got eight o-linemen that are going to help us with a game, we'll put them out there at the same time. If we’ve got eight running backs, we'll find a way to put them on the field — you can't do that, that's illegal. But you get what I'm saying,” Kotelnicki joked. “I mean that. We will be as creative and unique as necessary to utilize our players.”
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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.
