Penn State's Andy Kotelnicki is a Candidate WVU Fans Should Take Seriously

Hiring a first-time head coach isn't out of the cards for West Virginia.

Dan Rainville/USA Today Network - PA / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the biggest fears of the West Virginia fans that I've spoken with over the last week is that hiring an offensive coordinator as the next head coach will result in a bad move. Many of them bring up Dana Holgorsen's lack of head coaching experience and how his tenure didn't go as well as everyone hoped.

But before I give my thoughts on the idea of a first-time head coach, let's set the record straight with Holgorsen. It's not like his tenure was a complete and utter disaster. He won ten games twice and had the Mountaineers ranked in the top 25 in seven of his eight years on the job.

Only Don Nehlen has more wins at WVU than Dana, and while he coached one year longer than Rich Rodriguez, his overall record is more impressive when you consider the huge difference in the level of competition from the decimated Big East and the Big 12 that featured Texas and Oklahoma. It just reached a point where it felt like the Mountaineers hit their ceiling under Holgorsen. They didn't let him walk because he was a .500 coach who couldn't compete for the Big 12.

To eliminate or at least reduce the stress of a first-time head coach, here's a little nugget for you. Thirteen of the fifteen teams who are currently ranked in the CFP Top 25 rankings have a coach that had zero head coaching experience before they took the job they are currently at.

The list:

Dan Lanning (Oregon), Kirby Smart (Georgia), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Ryan Day (Ohio State), Spencer Danielson (Boise State), Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State), Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Kalani Sitake (BYU), Fran Brown (Syracuse), Jeff Monken (Army), and Ryan Silverfield (Memphis).

Now, of course, some of these coaches have been there for several years now, but still, it proves a point that hiring a first-timer can work out if you get the right guy. And it's not just the bluebloods either: Boise State, SMU, Arizona State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Army, and Memphis all hit on the right guy. West Virginia can, too.

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is a candidate WVU fans should take seriously. What he has been able to do throughout his stops at Buffalo, Kansas, and now Penn State is remarkable. Everywhere he goes, he produces an efficient, balanced offensive attack.

It's not the Air Raid where the run game is a bit of an afterthought. It's not the triple option that Jeff Monken runs at Army, a coach that's also in contention for the WVU job. It's a well-oiled machine that establishes its identity on the ground and creates high percentage throws. Kotelnicki helped Buffalo set several program records, helped pull Kansas out of the gutter, and took over the 60th-ranked offense at Penn State and turned them into the 11th-best unit in his first season.

West Virginia has a chance to get out in front of other Power Four schools on this up-and-comer who would be the No. 1 or No. 2 candidate for everyone with an opening following the 2025 season. If Kotelnicki is the guy, Mountaineer fans should feel confident that he'll get things turned around.

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