Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E O F F E N S E / / / / / / / to the team's success in 2023, with two es- pecially lackluster performances against Ohio State and Michigan, the offense has undergone an offseason of change as a result. Many of the key players that dic- tated last year's 10-3 finish are back, but Kotelnicki is new, and he's at the center of the pivot that PSU is attempting to make. Hired by head coach James Franklin in December to get over a hump that proved vexing to Mike Yurcich, Kotelnicki has many of the same players at his disposal. Junior quarterback Drew Allar returns after a debut season as the starter in which he threw 25 touchdowns against just 2 intercep- tions, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,631 yards. To his left and right in the backfield, ju- nior running backs Nicholas Single- ton and Kaytron Allen return as back-to-back offensive co-MVPs within the program. And, not far away, senior tight end Tyler Warren is joined by a healthy redshirt junior Harri- son Wallace III and Ohio State transfer Ju- lian Fleming as enticing receiving targets meant to help bolster the aerial attack. Gone, however, are three offensive line- men taken in April's NFL Draft. Bookend tackles Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Caedan Wallace, plus center Hunter Nourzad, represent the first trio of Nittany Lion linemen taken in one draft class since 1996. In the same vein, with the trans- fers of wide receivers KeAndre Lambert- Smith to Auburn and Dante Cephas 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. Kotelnicki absorbed those realities in his first months on the job, intending to deliver a fresh start. He said he came to gain a perspective on the Nittany Li- ons' potential that stood in contrast to the broader narrative surrounding the program. "Coming in, people were talking about Drew Allar in the quarterbacks room, the line, and then you think about the run- ning backs and tight ends. There was some depth in those two rooms. And then they're talking about receivers," Kotel- nicki said. "I think they've unfairly be- come the brunt of the reason there was limited success, if you want to call it that, or that there was a ceiling. I think those guys are going to really overachieve next year in everyone's eyes. I feel confident saying that." His optimism isn't without merit. Rejecting the notion that player perfor- mance and execution are the sole factors that determine outcomes, Kotelnicki is embracing his role in the offensive turn- around he is determined to deliver this season. He is quick to note that his beliefs have evolved over two decades in coach- ing, but he has found success by master- ing concepts, understanding personnel and using that knowledge to create ad- vantageous matchups. In his short time at Penn State, he has challenged players and staff to do the same. "I'm never going to put on any of the kids," Kotelnicki said. "When a play goes out there and it doesn't work well … the first thought is, 'I should have practiced that more.' Or, 'I shouldn't have had that kid out there to do it.' Or, 'I shouldn't have asked them to do that kind of play.' And we typically don't have that, because we're going to practice the hell out of the things that we do. We're going to have a lot of confidence in what we're doing. The low-hanging fruit is to say, 'Well, this kid just couldn't make the play. We need to have this.' We have it. Let's develop it. "I'm never going to throw a pass. I'm never going to block or run the ball at Penn State, so to take ownership when it doesn't go well — that's hard. That's a process that people have to go through at a high level. Because the easy thing to do is to say, 'We just need this.' I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to blame a group or a position or a player for performance, or lack thereof." Confident in himself and the players tasked with executing his plans, Kotel- nicki has lofty expectations for the Nit- tany Lions with preseason camp quickly approaching. He also has faith in the units that his fellow first-year coordinators — Tom Allen with the defense and Justin Lustig with the special teams — are as- sembling. If that confidence adds to the pressure to succeed, Kotelnicki is fine with that. "What coach, head coach, coordinator on either side of the ball or phase of the game isn't that the case for?" he asked. "The guy who re- placed me at Kansas, they have expecta- tions. He's got the same pressure. The guy who is at Michi- gan, he's got pressure. The team that hasn't won a game last year — they all have pressure to improve the program. 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. "It's how you manage it. We've all just got to get better. What I love about be- ing here is that we have a good team. Our defense is really good, our 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." ■ "What I love about being here is that we have a good team. Our defense is really good, our 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." K O T E L N I C K I F A S T F A C T S : O F F E N S E Coordinator: Andy Kotelnicki (first season) Starters returning: G Sal Wormley, G JB Nel- son, QB Drew Allar, RB Nicholas Singleton, RB Kaytron Allen, TE Tyler Warren, WR Har- rison Wallace III Other returnees with starting experience: G Olaivavega Ioane, OT Drew Shelton, WR Liam Clifford Starters lost: C Hunter Nourzad, OT Olu- muyiwa Fashanu, OT Caedan Wallace, TE Theo Johnson, WR Dante Cephas, WR KeAn- dre Lambert-Smith