Andy Kotelnicki camped outside the locker room with arms folded. As he nonchalantly leaned on the side of the team’s bus, he winked and smiled at a group of reporters who passed him. Kotelnicki could only speak about his offensive system in the months leading up to his debut as Penn State’s offensive coordinator. His postgame smirk told an even greater story.
Now they’ve seen it. This is what my offense is all about.
There were two-quarterback sets, offensive linemen in motion and wide receiver looks for quarterback Drew Allar. Kotelnicki’s schemes clearly caused confusion for a West Virginia defense which had faced him just two years ago while he worked at Kansas. The Mountaineers knew what they were getting themselves into and the Nittany Lions still pulled off a 34-12 win.
“Everything that Coach K does, as you guys saw this past Saturday, makes really everything stressful for the defense,” quarterback Beau Pribula said Tuesday. “It’s not really us sitting back and adjusting to what the defense is doing. It’s us attacking the defense and making them react to us.”
Kotelnicki has brought a different energy compared to that of his predecessor, Mike Yuricich, who was fired after Penn State’s loss to Michigan last season. And that’s not only in his play calling; it’s also in his demeanor. Kotelnicki is a genuinely jolly person who’s made it easy for players to buy into the system he’s selling.
There’s not only practice reps to show for it, either. James Franklin should already feel confident in his hire after seeing Kotelnicki’s system succeed in a game against a quality opponent. It’s a promising reality for a program that so desperately lacked an offensive explosiveness last season, which ended in yet another absence in the College Football Playoff.
“I think there’s a ton of excitement. I think you guys heard me say before, I think it’s been more balanced during all training camp. I think it was, it was more balanced, you know, in the West Virginia game, as well,” Franklin said. “So yeah, a lot of excitement and a ton to build on.”
Franklin kept his cool on Monday as he evaluated Kotelnicki’s first game. He doesn’t want to speak too soon. There are, of course, still milestones to reach and big games to be won before he can truly jump to conclusions. Franklin’s players, on the other hand? Oh, they’re pounding their fists. They are completely bought in.
Penn State’s Anthony Donkoh, coming off his first career start at right tackle, could only laugh and beam as he answered a question about Kotelnicki’s offense. It’s likely Donkoh had the same attitude after guard Vega Ioane was put in motion against the Mountaineers — a quirky play they’d practiced repeatedly since spring ball.
“Oh my gosh. I love Coach Kotelnicki,” Donkoh said. “I love how he utilizes all of us, so it’s not just scheme focused; it’s personnel focused too. And I love how he wants to move us tackles into space like you saw Vega, in space in the slot, coming out and going to crack somebody off the edge. I mean, the way he utilizes everybody is amazing. And he’s an amazing dude too.”
A constant theme of the preseason was the idea that Kotelnicki would utilize his best players early and often. On Saturday, he showed that. Allar threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns and wide receiver Harrison Wallace III tallied a career-high 117 yards and two scores, while running back Nick Singleton broke out two rushes of at least 40 yards (he hadn’t done so once in 2023).
And that’s without even mentioning the fact that Kotelnicki was able to use four tight ends, a position that could be one of his offense’s strongest units. The early report from tight end Andrew Rappleyea, others within his position group and across the offense is simple: they’ve never seen anything like it.
“I mean, it’s awesome, man. Kotelnicki’s play calling, this is beyond exciting,” Rappleyea said. “You know, just as a tight end, you get all the variety that we’re being given. … We’re stretching the field now. We’re getting out in space, doing all these different things that we haven’t done — honestly, for myself — ever, and I’m really excited.”
