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How Andy Kotelnicki's Offense Will Fit at Penn State

Kotelnicki, one of the nation's most interesting play-callers, will fuse creativity and personnel with the Nittany Lions.

Max Ralph

How Andy Kotelnicki's Offense Will Fit at Penn State
How Andy Kotelnicki's Offense Will Fit at Penn State /
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Penn State coach James Franklin made a splash move in identifying Kansas' Andy Kotelnicki as his next offensive coordinator, pulling Kotelnicki from his 11-year partnership with Kansas head coach Lance Leipold. The two had been together at three schools in different levels of college football, and Kotelnicki had just signed a five-year contract with at Kansas in January. Learn more about the details of Kotelnicki’s resume here.

The numbers and on-field product behind Kotelnicki’s offenses shed light on why Franklin prioritized him. Since arriving at Kansas, Leipold and Kotelnicki have driven steady improvement for a program long searching for hope. Kansas' records improved from 2-10 to 6-7 to 8-4 in their three years in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are headed to their second consecutive bowl game and will finish with their first winning record since 2008.

After his first offense finished 111th in FBS scoring in 2021, Kotelnicki has driven the program forward. The Jayhawks improved to 21st (35.6 points per game) in 2022 and 29th (33.6) this season, during which standout quarterback Jalon Daniels played in just three games because of injury. Kansas also ranks eighth nationally in rushing offense this season and 13th in third-down percentage, which surely caught Franklin’s eye after his team went a combined 7-for-29 on third downs against Ohio State and Michigan.

According to SportSource analytics, Kansas also has generated explosive plays at higher rates than Penn State. Kansas has the third-highest percentage of passing plays of 15+ yards over the past two seasons. Penn State ranks 77th. This chart from SportSource offers a good comparison between the Kansas and Penn State offenses, including their talent disparities:

What does an Andy Kotelnicki offense look like?

Kotelnicki is a creative mind on and off the field. National media and former college and NFL players supported the hire when The Athletic's Bruce Feldman first reported it Thursday. Some have called Kotelnicki a nightmare for opposing safeties, and Kotelnicki himself summarized his philosophy as “Let's get crazy” in an exclusive with The Athletic’s Max Olson.

"I love this offense," Daniels told Olson in a 2022 interview. "The ability to mess with the defense is beautiful."

Kotelnicki's hallmark is using creative formations to maximize players' potential. When looking at the statistical success, it's important to keep in mind that Kansas hasn't finished with a recruiting class better than 63rd in Leipold's tenure, according to 247Sports. After firing offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Nov. 12, Franklin spent the past few weeks talking about prioritizing his players’ unique skills over fitting them to a scheme. So the Penn State coach must have been a fan of that aspect of Kotelnicki’s philosophy. Let’s check the tape.

Kotelnicki goes heavy on pre-snap motion, literally and figuratively. He won praise for splitting an offensive lineman out wide like a receiver and having him motion for a head start on an edge block. That could be fun in front of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

There’s also evidence of Kotelnicki playing to one of Penn State’s strengths: using tight ends and heavy personnel. Kotelnicki has designed run-pass options and space-making route trees from two- and three-tight end formations. He has proven to be a big fan of the wheel route from multiple positions.

And here’s one sure to entice Penn State fans. Kotelnicki designed a reverse with two quarterbacks on the field that resulted in a sprint-out boot pass. Franklin mentioned multiple times over the last month that he wanted to use Drew Allar and Beau Pribula together more often, so maybe the Pribula package's stock is rising with Kotelnicki in town. 

Kansas did some other funky stuff with quarterback alignment, including a Wildcat snap paired with a handoff to quarterback Jalon Daniels, who threw a touchdown pass. Kotelnicki’s reputation for designing plays could add a sense of creativity and excitement that had been missing from Penn State’s offense the past few years.

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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.

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network.

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Max Ralph
MAX RALPH

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.

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