Andy Kotelnicki, embracing pressure, aims to make Penn State offense ‘the best in the country’
Andy Kotelnicki remembers the incident from nearly two decades ago with clarity. Then an offensive coordinator at Wisconsin-River Falls, his alma mater, the Falcons were conducting a pre-game, Senior Day ceremony.
Capping an otherwise underwhelming season, Kotelnicki said, the moment’s importance took real form. And, ahead of his first season calling the offense for a Penn State football program underneath heightened expectations and the intense scrutiny that comes with it, the lessons are applicable.
“We weren’t very good that year. And a dad was out there, the parents are out there shaking hands,” said Kotelnicki. “And I’m out there and the dad, in front of the whole stadium, grabs my hand to shake it. He said, ‘Call a good game today, Kotelnicki.’
“That’s part of what comes with it. So I don’t know that I feel it. I recognize that (the pressure is) there, per se. But, I’ve always had it there. We have to go out there and perform.”
Setting the table
For Penn State’s offense ahead of the 2024 season, the point is particularly true.
Widely acknowledged as the inhibitor to the program’s success in a 2023 campaign that finished 10-3 with two especially lackluster performances against Ohio State and Michigan, the offense has undergone an offseason of change as a result. Brought in to get over a hump that proved vexing to Mike Yurcich, Kotelnicki has many of the same ingredients at his disposal.
Leading the No. 77-ranked passing offense, quarterback Drew Allar returns after a debut season as a start in which he threw 26 touchdowns against just a pair of interceptions. In the backfield, Nick Singleton and Kayton Allen return as back-to-back offensive co-MVPs within the program. Tight end Tyler Warren is joined by Trey Wallace and Julian Fleming as receiving targets.
Gone, however, are three offensive linemen taken in April’s NFL Draft. Bookend tackles Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace, plus center Hunter Nourzad, represent the first trio of Nittany Lion linemen taken in one draft class since 1996. Along with the transfers of KeAndre Lambert-Smith to Auburn and Dante Cephas’ move to Kansas State, plus Theo Johnson’s NFL Draft selection, the Nittany Lions are without three of their top five pass-catchers from a year ago.
Next steps for Andy Kotelnicki
Nonetheless, expectations remain lofty for the Nittany Lions. Welcoming back significant pieces of a heralded defensive unit, and hopes tied to Kotelnicki delivering a magic touch to the offense, Penn State is fully embracing those expectations.
“What coach, head coach, coordinator on either side of the ball or phase isn’t that the case? The guy who replaced me at Kansas, they have expectations. He’s got the same pressure, basically. The guy who is at Michigan, he’s got pressure. The team that hasn’t won a game last year, they all have pressure to improve the program,” said Kotelnicki. “The difference is, the improvement for Penn State and what that looks like if we improve, is to be the best in the country. That’s the only difference. But, I would have been a failure at Kansas, and had the same pressure.
“It’s how you manage it. But we all just gotta get better. That’s what I love about being here is that we have a good team. So our defense is really good, special teams. There’s depth. So every day we’re competing and every day there’s that ‘pressure’ to go out there and beat somebody. That’s really pretty good.”
Talk about it in the Lions Den with our premium members, here!
The post Andy Kotelnicki, embracing pressure, aims to make Penn State offense ‘the best in the country’ appeared first on On3.
