Andy Kotelnicki almost wasn’t the Nittany Lions’ new offensive coordinator. In fact he was almost the tight ends coach.
That’s right, a nugget dropped by Penn State running backs coach and co-interim offensive coordinator Ja’Juan Seider on Friday indicated exactly that: Kotelnicki interviewed for Penn State’s opening as tight ends coach in 2021 — a job that current tight ends coach Ty Howle ended up with. Add in the fact Kotelnicki coached against Penn State twice while at Buffalo and was a guest speaker at a coaching clinic on campus and the Nittany Lions’ new leading offensive mind has seen his fair share of State College already.
Oh and as far as that old interview, technically Kotelnicki is Howle’s boss now.
“I really have not thought about that too much,” Kotelnicki said with a laugh during his first media appearance since taking the job. “But I joke with [Kansas Coach Lance Leipold] he didn’t hire me the first time he interviewed me either. It’s true. So I don’t know if it’s something about my first impression. Maybe it just doesn’t fit well.”
“But the unique thing is you know, Coach Howle got the job [and] obviously does a great job. And then to come here and continue to collaborate with those people, it’s a pretty cool deal when you think about how you got to a point in your life. If I had been here, would I have gone to Kansas and been a part of what they’re doing there now? You know, probably not is the answer and so to be able to go there and grow with the people that I was with there, the rest of the staff, all those players – and then to come here and take some of the things that we’ve learned, from that journey back over to here.”
For Howle and Seider who will continue to operate in their co-offensive coordinator role through the incoming Peach Bowl, they’ve found working with Kotelnicki to be a pleasant experience so far. Then again, everyone has been so busy on the recruiting trail that the work in the trenches has only just begun. Kotelnicki will travel with Penn State to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl, but as was previously known, he won’t have any hands-on involvement with Penn State’s actual game prep or in-game decisions.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t lending a hand though.
“We’ve been out on the road,” Howle said. “Recruiting a lot, so there hadn’t been a ton of us sitting down and interactions, but we have been back for practice and those things. [Kotelnicki] has been extremely helpful. He’s really sharp, really bright and a really good person. So that’s been the biggest impressions that we’ve seen early on. And getting input – he’s coming in and trying to jump two feet in and but it’s been great having him in the room.”
“He’s been an easy fit so far,” Seider added. “We haven’t really done much with him. We had a chance to interview him, you know, back in the day for a tight end position, so we kind of knew each other a little bit. As far as football, he’s just kind of absorbing everything and being a voice of reason, just trying to get to know the staff and the kids up to this point.”
As for Kotelnicki himself, it’s all still a little surreal that a Minnesota kid has gotten to this point. In a long and winding story Kotelnicki recounted a Penn State helmet he had as a kid by complete chance, growing up to appreciate the likes of Curtis Enis and LaVar Arrington. Amidst the story, Kotelnicki realizes that maybe he could meet both one day.
“We can arrange for that right?” Kotelnicki says earnestly.
“That’s life, and you just never know where it’s going to take you and what’s going to happen. It would be a point to illustrate the relationships that you have with people you never know when they’re gonna be really meaningful. No matter how maybe insignificant or significant it feels at the time. Next thing you know, 15 years later, that person, you’re working with them side-by-side and your livelihoods kind of depend on each other.”
And as Kotelnicki looks to get Penn State’s offense over the hump against some of the best teams in the nation, there’s no question his livelihood will depend on what he’s able to cook up and the assistance of those working with him side-by-side. Just ask the last guy.
