The 2024 Penn State football season is just around the corner. In less than two weeks the 8th ranked Nittany Lions will head to West Virginia for a nighttime match-up with the Mountaineers. Penn State's 2023 offense was one that the team is hoping to forget about. Penn State relieved Mike Yurich of his duties as offensive coordinator in November after a home loss to Michigan. Penn State then hired Kansas OC Andy Kotelnicki to the same position that offseason.
The task for Kotelnicki is simple, but it could be difficult. Prior to arriving at Kansas, the 2021 Jayhawks offense struggled to move the ball consistently. This past season, Kotelnicki orchestrated one of the top offenses in college football in the Big 12.
Penn State's offense like every offense, is surrounded by their QB. The expectations for Allar have been high, even before he stepped foot onto campus. Many people have felt that Allar has not lived up to those expectations and he has been the center of a ton of criticism. However, Allar is not as bad as people seem to make him. He was tied for 1st for TDs in the Big 10 and only threw 2 interceptions. His glaring weakness were his incompletions. Allar only had a 62% completion percentage in 2023. Penn State relied on Allar's arm more than they should in 2023. They relied on the stellar defense and would let Allar work from there. He will now be paired with an OC whose best trait is development.
Kotelnicki did a stellar job with the Kansas passing game in 2023. Jalon Daniels was having a record year and had his name in the Heisman conversation before he went down with a season ending back injury. Kotelnicki has a history and success with developing QB's, and this is a huge plus for Penn State and Drew Allar.
Penn State's receiving room is going to look a lot different in 2024. Leading receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith is off to Auburn and 3rd leading receiver TE Theo Johnson is off in the NFL. Penn State will return TE Tyler Warren which is a plus for Kotelnicki and Allar. In 2023 Warren had 422 yards while tied for a team high 7 TDs. Penn State also picked up former Ohio State WR Julian Fleming via the transfer portal. He comes with 963 yards and 7 TD's while at Ohio State. Fleming is not coming off a successful 2023 season, but has had a strong history of success at Ohio State.
The Penn State run game in 2023 was missing. The team relied on the pass game early, and when that failed, they defaulted to the run game. If Kotelnicki can rely on the run game early and not bail on it, then Penn State can really make some noise. The Penn State running back room features a dynamic 1-2 punch in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. In 2022 they combined for 1,800 yards and 22 TD's. They regressed in 2023 rushing for 1,600 yards and 14 TD's. The duo has proven to be as good as anyone in the nation.
The big area of concern for Penn State and Kotelnicki will be the offensive line. Both the 2023 tackles Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace are off to the NFL. Nolan Rucci was picked up from Wisconsin who can fill in for one of the tackle spots. The interior of the line will look to Sal Wormley for a veteran presence. The offensive line is going to be the biggest question mark for Penn State's offense in 2023. The skill positions are all there, but there is a lot of uncertainty with this offensive line.
Allar struggled when he was under pressure in 2023 and when the pocket collapsed. When Allar began to feel pressured, this would lead to a high number of incomplete passes. When the high number of incomplete passes began to occur is when the run game began to appear, but by then the defense was already prepared. With a brand-new offensive line in 2024, this is the huge concern for the Penn State offense. We really are unsure what we are going to get. The talent they lost was drastic. The question is, will the next man up be able to help this brand-new offense.
Looking at Penn State's schedule, it does not favor the Nittany Lions. Too make matters worse, their week 1 matchup on the road against West Virginia allows no time to figure out the offense and the players. Kotelnicki is walking into a situation where the skill positions are there. He has a QB who has proven that he can get the job done in the right situations. He has pass catchers who are reliable. He has one of the best 1-2 running back punches in the country. His big concern is going to come from his offensive line.
If Kotelnicki and Allar can get a flow going early and if Kotelnicki can establish a solid run game, then the Penn State schedule becomes very favorable. The early test at West Virginia will be a good test for this new Penn State offense. However, they then have a stretch of games against Bowling Green, Kent State, and Illinois all at home.
Kotelnicki's biggest strength while at Kansas was, he designed the offense around his current player's strengths. He never tried to create something that was not there. With James Franklin giving him the flexibility to create an offense and execute, there is a lot to be excited for.
The offense will more than likely get off to a cold start. A new OC and play caller, with the addition of some new faces all over the offense, there are bound to be some hiccups. The nighttime environment of West Virginia will not help the situation. However, with the experience that Kotelnicki brings to the table and how good the defense can be, the offense should get their footing by the 2nd half.
-Adam Mack
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