How Andy Kotelnicki's Offense Will Fit at Penn State

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.