Just over a week ago, Penn State football’s offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was rumored to be in the running for the West Virginia head coaching job.

Now, he’s focused on the program’s future and preparing for No. 11-seed SMU in Penn State’s first-ever College Football Playoff game.

“I enjoy, first and foremost, the players that I get to coach on a daily basis,” Kotelnicki said Monday. “Working with coach Franklin has been awesome. The offensive staff that I work with is elite. So, just a really easy decision.”

Several names, including Kotelnicki’s, were in the mix when the Mountaineers fired former head coach Neal Brown earlier in December. But Kotelnicki said on December 9 that he intends to stay in Happy Valley.

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

Coordinator turnover has been a challenge for James Franklin and Penn State over the past few seasons. The Nittany Lions added three new coordinators this past offseason after former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took the Duke head coaching job, and special teams coordinator Stacy Collins took the special teams coordinator opening at Boise State.

In 2021, defensive coordinator Brent Pry became Virginia Tech’s next head coach after eight seasons with the Nittany Lions, and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca was replaced by Yurcich after just one season in 2020.

“Consistency on our staff is really important but hard to do in the current college football landscape,” Franklin said. “It’s also a compliment and a curse. We keep losing staff to go be head coaches or they leave here and then go one other stop and then become a head coach.”

Retaining Kotelnicki prevents a headache for Franklin and the coaching staff. Finding a third offensive coordinator in as many seasons is difficult on its own, but it’s even more so when preparing for the playoff, navigating the transfer portal, and signing high school recruits at the same time.

“It’s big because you don’t want to be dealing with this during a playoff run. You don’t want to be dealing with this when you’ve got players deciding what their futures are,” Franklin said.

Now, Kotelnicki remains a cornerstone for the program as it looks to grow from its recent success.

“I think about how hard we worked this offseason to make sure that having three new coordinators wasn’t going to create more challenges and be a setback for us, and I think we’ve done a good job of that,” Franklin said. “But I think there’s also excitement about what we can do moving forward, thinking about what we had to do this offseason. Now, we have a foundation to build on.”

Not only is Kotelnicki important to the coaching staff and the future of the program, but he’s revered by his players, and maybe none more than quarterback Drew Allar, who announced on Monday his intentions to return for his fourth and final season.

“I think me and coach [Kotelnicki] have a really good relationship,” Allar said. “With him only being here for a year right now, we’re still growing every day in terms of our relationship and communication, and I think I’ve earned his trust to have a say in the offense.”

The former five-star has made noticeable improvements to his game since last season. Allar’s completion percentage is up from 59.9% to 69.1%, he has thrown for 263 more yards, 2.1 more yards per completion, and his QBR has jumped from 72.7 to 81.6.

Allar has also shown growth off the field. At the beginning of the season, several teammates said he grew as a leader during the offseason, and Allar’s shown more emotion during the games and on the sidelines.

“One thing that he’s helped me a ton is just be an authentic me,” Allar said. “I think I’ve kind of shown that a couple of times throughout the year. I think he’s just allowed me to be me.”

Allar improvement under Kotelnicki has translated to the entire offense improving. Penn State’s offense has gone from averaging 399.8 yards per game a year ago to 448.6 in 2024. The offense has also improved from 215 pass yards per game to 246.5 and 184.8 rush yards per game to 202.2.

“I think just his presence has been great. The kind of guy he is and how he is off the field with us. We can joke with him and get serious when we need to be serious,” said Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren.

Kotelnicki’s offense allowed Warren to maximize his potential on offense. Warren played tight end, fullback, receiver, quarterback, and center and was productive at each position for the Nittany Lions in a season where he was named the best tight end in the country and finished seventh in Heisman voting with one first-place vote.

“[Kotelnicki] has been great. I think it will be really good for Penn State, in general, to have him back,” Warren said. “So, that will be awesome for going into the playoff and in those upcoming years as well.”

One thing Kotelnicki preached in his preseason press conference was cross-training his offensive linemen. The goal was to get every player experience at every position to solidify depth on the line, and after losing three players to the NFL Draft the year before and losing star tackle Anthony Donkoh at the end of this season, the line has still held strong.

Penn State is tied for the 10th-least amount of sacks allowed this season with 12 — four sacks fewer than a season ago. The rushing offense has also improved from 2,407 total yards to 2,628 total yards.

“I think it’s amazing. He’s a great teacher, obviously, great offensive coordinator,” center Nick Dawkins said. “His offense is really engaging for me since I’ve been here. This is my third offensive coordinator, and I’ve been so fortunate to be around him.”

“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” Dawkins added.

With SMU less than a week away, Kotelnicki faces another top-10 opponent. The offense struggled against No. 4 Ohio State as it was held to 13 points, 270 total yards, and was stopped twice from inside the 5-yard line. However, the offense exploded against No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship with 37 points and 523 total yards.

“I look forward to playing another game with him this Saturday with him calling the plays and preparing for another game as well,” Allar said.