Penn State Is Building a 'Really Different' Offense This Spring, Nicholas Singleton Says

The Nittany Lions are testing a collection of new formations, motions and shifts under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki guides the Nittany Lions during ball-security drills at spring practice. / Max Ralph/AllPennState

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has shaken things up during his brief time in Happy Valley. He brought a highly creative offense from Kansas, where pre-snap motion and trick plays often were featured. He also has been vocal and demanding in his first spring in State College, building what running back Nicholas Singleton called a “really different” offense.

“Coach K, he told us straight up: He's giving the best players the ball. So everybody's gotta show up in the spring and camp,” Singleton said in a media call this week. “We're ready for it. I'm excited, man. I can just see the plays working.”

Singleton and fellow running back Kaytron Allen could be at the forefront of Kotelnicki’s creativity. The backs will motion like other skill players, could play slot receiver and will perform a variety of roles. Quarterback Drew Allar has been particularly complimentary of the early installation process with Kotelnicki.

“The biggest thing that we talk about on the offensive end is creating stress and applying pressure and stress to the defense, whether that be pre-snap or post-snap,” said Allar, explaining that the motions are designed to force defenses into certain coverages. “So we have a lot of shifts and motions that we've been doing, which really makes it hard on the defense because they've got to communicate everything, but it's just a simple motion or shift for us.”

Penn State is still early in its offensive install, but Allar said he feels “really comfortable right now.”

“I think the biggest thing has been we're getting to the same place that we've been doing all spring, but through different formations, shifts and motions,” Allar said. “So everybody's learning the concepts and not just one part of the concept but learning the full concept.”

Less glamorous responsibilities have become a major focal point under Kotelnicki. Quarterbacks, for example, have started going through ball-security drills at every practice alongside other skill players. And the receivers are making the most of the dirty work, Allar said.

That receiving corps is an interesting position after its  2023 struggles, but an unglamorous responsibility is gaining positive returns through spring camp. Allar specifically shouted out receivers Julian Fleming, Malick Meiga and Malik McClain for their perimeter blocking.

“Obviously, receivers want to catch the ball in space. That's why they come here, to get the ball in space, and on the perimeter and make catches downfield,” Allar said. “But we always talked about, we have to earn the right to throw the ball downfield as an offense, and that starts with blocking.”

He added, “I think that those three guys specifically have really rubbed off on the rest of the room. And you can see a lot more explosive plays happening for us just because there's extra effort on the perimeter, whether it's in the run game or chasing down the pass catcher and creating an extra block for them to make an open lane for them.”

Allar said he hopes Kotelnicki’s approach leads to “plug-and-play” opportunities for the receivers by the end of spring practice. In the meantime, early reactions through nine spring practices have been resoundingly positive.

“Coach K, first of all, he's been really good ever since he stepped on campus,” Singleton said. “Everybody's been building a great relationship with him. I've been building a great relationship with him. Just the offense he has, everybody's excited about it. You can just tell through our practice, making plays and all that. Everybody's hyped about it.”

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.