Andy Kotelnicki hints at staying with Penn State despite head-coaching interviews

Penn State fans, and James Franklin, can take a deep breath.

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki posted on social media Monday night to hint that he plans to stay with Penn State moving forward.

“Beyond lucky to be a part of the Penn State Football Family,” he wrote on X. “Still a lot to accomplish this season and I am looking forward to what 2025 has in store for our program!”

Kotelnicki’s job status has been under scrutiny since reports surfaced on Dec. 2 that he’d interview at West Virginia for the Mountaineers’ open head-coaching job. He went through the process, but clearly, Kotelnicki will remain in Happy Valley.

The former Kansas offensive coordinator came to Penn State this offseason with the promise of delivering creative and explosive offensive play.

Kotelnicki’s group has scored 33.2 points per game this season, good for 25th in the country, en route to an 11-2 record and a Big Ten Championship berth.

While the numbers are a statistical decrease from 36.2 points in 2023, this year’s Penn State squad has been more consistently explosive. The Lions generated 57 plays of 20-plus yards in the regular season compared to 47 in 2023.

A 37-point, 518-yard performance against No. 1 Oregon for the conference title was another example of why Kotelnicki was brought in.

His work with quarterback Drew Allar and Heisman-candidate tight end Tyler Warren, specifically, has caught national attention for good reason. He’s also notorious for trick plays, like one Penn State ran for Warren against USC in which the tight end both snapped the ball and caught a touchdown.

It’s not particularly surprising to see Kotelnicki stick with Penn State this time around, but he’s sure to continue generating head-coaching interest if he also continues to excel with the Nittany Lions.

Penn State turns its attention to its home first-round College Football Playoff game, where it will serve as the No. 6 seed and play against the No. 11 seed in SMU.