Penn State's Drew Allar Studying Kansas City Chiefs Offense This Offseason

Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki look to bring more shifts, motion to the Nittany Lions' offense.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, donning a painted green monster and Pit Viper sunglasses, picked up a microphone in Holuba Hall on Saturday afternoon and drew nearly all of the 100-plus people at Penn State’s annual THON Explorers’ event to the karaoke machine. He and safety DaKaari Nelson belted Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” with a group of Four Diamonds children, and a few other players took requests and sang songs, from “Sweet Caroline” to — well — a lot more of Swift’s discography. Lambert-Smith certainly relished the chance to be the event’s emcee.

Penn State, including noteworthy transfers like Julian Fleming and Nolan Rucci, played lawn games and chatted with THON families for a couple of hours. Running back Nicholas Singleton, participating in the event for the third time. was particularly impacted by one THON child whom he said hails from near his hometown of Shillington, Pa.

“Definitely a great experience coming out for these kids, man,” Singleton said Saturday. “They don't have the same chance that we have, so just to give back to them and have fun with them for the day just means a lot for them.”

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Several Penn State players, including quarterback Drew Allar and linebacker Dom DeLuca, also provided some important updates on the early stages of the offseason. From uniform changes to getting to know new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme, let’s empty the notebook.

Kotelnicki getting integrated

One word players have used to describe Kotelnicki is “energy.” He’s bringing creative offensive schemes to Penn State from Kansas, which quarterback Drew Allar compared to the Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay-inspired West Coast offenses that permeate the NFL these days. Allar offered a quick note that he’s been studying the Kansas City Chiefs’ film, including their recent Super Bowl win, while quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien has already broken down 10-12 NFL offenses from the 2023 season.

“[The Chiefs were] just very cool to watch, and just how hard you can make it on defenses with shifts, motions and everything because on offense, we want to be on offense,” Allar said. “We don't want to be the ones reacting. We want to make the defense react to us. And I think Coach K's gonna do that, just with all the motions and shifts he's done in his past.”

Penn State coach James Franklin mentioned last week that the offensive staff has spent much of the offseason deliberating terminology while beginning installations. Some terminology has carried over from last year, but certainly not all. Allar also complimented the work Kotelnicki is doing to simplify things for the Lions.

“I think he just allows us to be ourselves and kind of play to our strengths and play with freedom,” Allar said. “But he's also going to allow us to play fast. One of his big things is eliminating variables for us. He doesn't want us to think. He wants to just go out and play and react. I think he's done a great job of that already.”

Singleton grew excited talking about Kotelnicki’s rushing schemes after the coordinator led Kansas to the nation’s eighth-best ground game in 2023. Singleton also said he’s putting focus on receiving out of the backfield for the second straight offseason in addition to his patience when hitting the line of scrimmage.

Tight end Tyler Warren, fresh off announcing his return for the Lions in 2024, is part of the position group Kotelnicki calls “the adjusters.” Kotelnicki will have his tight ends moving a ton before the snap this season.

Number changes

Penn State updated its roster this offseason to reveal numbers for the new freshmen and transfers, but a few other changes have been made since that were on display Saturday:

Offensive lineman J’ven Williams has switched to No. 74 from No. 70, taking the number worn last season by left tackle Olu Fashanu. No surprise, since Williams said recently that he had hoped to wear No. 74, which is a family heirloom. Freshman offensive lineman Garrett Sexton has taken No. 70 in Williams’ place.

Safety Kevin Winston Jr. has changed to No. 2 from No. 21. A captain last season, Keaton Ellis most recently wore the No. 2. Freshman defensive back Vaboue Toure will wear No. 21.

Abdul Carter, defensive end

The latest roster update features a defensive end designation for junior Abdul Carter after he spent two seasons at linebacker. It’s an intriguing change, bringing one of Penn State’s best playmakers closer to the ball. The move could help offset the losses of All-Big Ten ends Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson as well. Linebacker, and captain, Dom DeLuca seemed to be a fan of the move.

“Abdul, wherever you put him on the field, he's gonna make plays, and that's what I'm most excited about,” DeLuca said. “Either if it's linebacker or at D-end, he's gonna get to the quarterback, he's gonna get a sack or make that play, that game-changing play. That's really what he does best. And moving him closer, I think it's huge for him too.”

In Carter’s place at linebacker, a handful of younger names seem to be in the mix. DeLuca mentioned Tony Rojas, Keon Wylie, Ta’Mere Robinson and Kaveion Keys. Whoever steps up will be helping to replace 56 tackles from 2022 and 49 in 2023, good for second and third on the team, respectively.

“Their way to understand the defense so fast and just picking up certain techniques from the offense,” DeLuca said on what stands out most about the group. “They're always hungry to learn. They always want to work. They always want to get better, and I love that about them. They're living up to the linebacker standard.”

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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