Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
2 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M S uccess used to breed stability in col- lege football. Not anymore. These days, success breeds just the oppo- site. Look no further than the most suc- cessful teams of the 2023 season to see how destabilizing prosperity can be. The confetti had barely stopped falling when a significant portion of Michigan's coach- ing staff bolted for the NFL. And by the time Jim Harbaugh's RV pulled into its new home in the parking lot outside the Los Angeles Chargers' headquarters, the two teams his squad defeated en route to the College Football Playoff champion- ship — Alabama and Washington — had completed their own coaching overhauls. Meanwhile, another marquee oppo- nent that Michigan beat in 2023 — Ohio State — thought it had pulled off one of the splashiest hires of the offseason when it landed Bill O'Brien to run its offense. But O'Brien flew off to Boston College for the Eagles' head job after just three weeks in Columbus, prompting the Buckeyes to make an even splashier hire by wooing Chip Kelly away from UCLA's head job to fill their vacant OC role. Given the upheaval in the sport's high- est echelons, Penn State should perhaps consider itself fortunate to merely be breaking in three new coordinators at the same time. Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen has taken over as defensive co- ordinator after Manny Diaz parlayed two stellar seasons at Penn State into a head coaching post at Duke. Former Vander- bilt assistant Justin Lustig was hired in January after Stacy Collins opted to re- turn to Boise State following two excellent seasons in charge of PSU's kicking game. And on offense, former Kansas assistant Game Changers Game Changers A trio of new coordinators hope to minimize disruption and strengthen Penn State's outlook this spring M A T T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M In his first spring at Penn State, Andy Kotelnicki has been working with junior quarterback Drew Allar to help make the Nittany Lions' offense more dynamic. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER