Penn State and its fans are excited about Andy Kotelnicki being the team’s new offensive coordinator.
The hire has also gotten acclaim from the outside world.
This is a fantastic hire for @PennStateFball at OC to get Andy Kotelnicki
Super creative + open box mindset play designer and play caller 👏👏
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 30, 2023
Well, people now have one more reason to be excited: a major college sports outlet has named Kotelnicki its Offensive Coordinator of the Year.
That outlet is 247Sports, and it’s hard to argue with the choice.
Andy Kotelnicki has been named @247Sports Offensive Coordinator of the Year less than a week after taking Penn State job.@bmarcello has the details: https://t.co/JoMucb0jiz
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) December 6, 2023
When Kotelnicki became Kansas’ OC before the 2021 season, he was taking over what had been one of college football’s worst statistical offenses. By his second season, Kansas was one of the best, finishing sixth in the country in total offense. This season, Kansas didn’t put up quite the same numbers, but it still finished eighth. This is more impressive given the context that KU played most of the regular season without its starting QB.
“Kansas battled through a slew of injuries at quarterback,” 247’s Brandon Marcello wrote, “and still won eight games for the first time in 16 years. The force behind the push was Andy Kotelnicki, 247Sports’ Offensive Coordinator of the Year for college football’s 2023 season.
Despite juggling three different starters at quarterback, Kansas finished the season with one of the nation’s most explosive offenses while also dominating defenses on the ground.”
Penn State HC James Franklin was asked about Kotelnicki for the first time Sunday, hours after America found out it’d be playing Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
It would have took a big opportunity for Kotelnicki to leave head coach Lance Leipold and Kansas. That’s what Penn State is.
“For him to leave a program and a guy he had been with for 11 years and had a very, very secure contract, he had to feel good about what he was joining,” Franklin said.
