One Penn State coordinator is among the 65 nominees for the Broyles Award, presented annually to the nation’s top coordinator.
Defensive coordinator Tom Allen is up for the award, and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is curiously not on the list.
Coach Allen is a @BroylesAward Nominee for Best Assistant Coach in College Football 🏆#WeAre x @CoachAllenPSU pic.twitter.com/P07bP2sbVU
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 26, 2024
Allen is fully deserving of being nominated.
With that said, Kotelnicki not being on the list will raise a few eyebrows. It’s he who has gotten the most attention among Penn State assistant coaches this season. For one, his unit is averaging 32.4 points per game. He’s also wowed college football fans with his creativity, perhaps the best example being this play.
Penn State TE Tyler Warren’s final line against USC:
17 catches (tied for the most ever by an FBS TE)
224 yards
This insane TD 👇pic.twitter.com/oA0gBOVW6E— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 12, 2024
TOM TERRIFFIC
BLOOMINGTON, IN – NOVEMBER 18: Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen following a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Indiana Hoosiers on November 18, 2023 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire)
Allen isn’t Manny Diaz, and the cynical portion of Penn State’s fan base will point that out. In two seasons as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, Diaz worked magic. Last season, Penn State finished No. 2 in the country in total defense, and the only downside to that was that Diaz got a head coaching job at Duke, which was great for him but forced Penn State to adjust.
Penn State couldn’t have done better than Allen. The defense ranks No. 5 nationally, despite losing stars such as Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac to the NFL and projected first-round pick KJ Winston to injury.
FRANKLIN SAYS ALLEN= UNDERRATED
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – NOVEMBER 16: Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin on the sidelines during the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Penn State Nittany Lions on November 16, 2024, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)
It sure seems that Allen isn’t getting enough attention, and among the people who feels that way is his boss.
“I don’t care what profession or what job you’re in, depending on who you follow, plays a role in how you’re perceived,” Franklin said after a practice earlier this month. “And he follows Manny Diaz, and we have one of the top defenses in the country. “I think it’s an example of who you follow, and he probably had the toughest follow, so give him a ton of credit,” Franklin said. “Very different personality, very different approach, but I think he’s doing a great job and I think our whole defensive staff is.”
Penn State ends its regular season Saturday afternoon against Maryland. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 on CBS.
