James Franklin: Andy Kotelnicki marks return to Joe Moorhead style offense for Penn State football

James Franklin made a statement hire when he plucked Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas to be the next offensive coordinator for Penn State football this winter. But rather than reinventing the offense with a new playcaller, Kotelnicki’s hiring signals a return to a familiar scheme for Franklin, one that brought the Nittany Lions much success. Last week, Franklin explained how Kotelnicki will bring to Penn State a similar style to that of Joe Moorhead when he was in Happy Valley.

James Franklin: New OC marks return to familiar offense for Penn State football

Last fall, James Franklin took the unprecedented step of firing offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich mid-season, the first time he had done so as Penn State football coach. Yurcich had come to Happy Valley with much fanfare, but the move was likely justified for a unit that seemed mired within itself.

The man Franklin tapped to replace Yurcich was Kansas playcaller Andy Kotelnicki. Regarded as one of the best offensive coordinators in college football last season, Kotelnicki’s dynamic and quirky play style looks remarkably different from what the Nittany Lions’ offense has become recently.

But rather than a shift from the norm, Kotelnicki represents a return to a traditional Penn State offense under James Franklin. Speaking to the media last week, Franklin explained that Kotelnicki’s style follows a pattern similar to that of former Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead.

“I think, based on how we played the last couple years, I don’t think that was an extension of the Joe Moorhead style of spread offense that we were running,” Franklin said on Tuesday.

“I made some coordinator hires [recently] that were veteran coordinator hires that I would not say were in that model. If you looked at us over the last couple years, although the last coordinator was more of an 11-personnel guy, that was not necessarily our strength as an offense. Our tight end room is one of the better tight end rooms in the country.

“I believe you better have enough flexibility within your system to play to the strengths of your roster. I would say that is probably uncommon in Coaching 101 and college football. Everybody says that during the interview process, but very few people actually do it.”

While Andy Kotelnicki brings an offense that matches what he wants to run at Penn State, Franklin noted his new offensive coordinator can bring a much-needed element to Beaver Stadium next fall.

“I think what Andy was doing at Kansas was very similar,” he said. “The difference, as we’re all very aware of, and trust me, I’m aware of, is what his strength is: explosive plays. I think they were sixth in the country in explosive plays, but doing it in similar formations and personnel groups that we were in.”

Andy Kotelnicki vs. Joe Moorhead by the numbers

Of course, Joe Moorhead has earned a special place in the hearts and minds of many Nittany Lion faithful for what Penn State football accomplished during his tenure. The Blue and White rattled off 22 wins during Moorhead’s two seasons in Happy Valley, including a Big Ten Championship in 2016 and a Fiesta Bowl victory in 2017.

But by the numbers, what Penn State football did offensively under Joe Moorhead is not too dissimilar to Andy Kotelnicki’s Kansas Jayhawks. In two years with Moorhead, the Nittany Lions averaged 447 yards and 39 points per game. Kansas has put up almost identical numbers – 442 yards and 37.4 points per game – under Kotelnicki the last two seasons.

Kotelnicki certainly brings the skill set to adapt to Penn State’s roster, as well. At Kansas, the Jayhawks averaged 195 rushing yards per game. With Saquon Barkley in the backfield, Moorhead’s offenses averaged 171 yards per contest. That’s a stat that pleases the Nittany Lions’ current running backs room.

“I saw the stats a little bit from Kansas, compared to what we did last year; that got me a little excited for that,” Nicholas Singleton said of Kotelnicki over the weekend. “[He does] a lot of creative stuff. I’m excited about that.”

A happy medium

While the last few seasons may have been a shift from what Penn State football has done well in the James Franklin era, that doesn’t mean everything will go onto the scrap heap. For the 2024 Nittany Lions, success will be found by merging the best of both offensive styles.

“We were number one in the country in turnover ratio, which is a team stat, but our offense did a great job of protecting the football,” Franklin said this week.

“What you’re obviously trying to do is marry those two things: the protection of the football on offense, the explosive plays from Kansas, the ability to use different personnel groups that I think is a strength of ours, combined with what Andy did at Kansas. That’s where I think it made sense to him and made sense to us. Obviously, as we all know, again, the explosive plays were a big, big part of that.”

We will get our first look at the new Penn State offense during the Blue-White Game on April 13.

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