Tag: Andy Kotelnicki

Latest info from Penn State’s last visit with top QB target

Penn State hosted its top QB target this weekend. Now it’s time for a decision to be made.

It was a huge weekend in Happy Valley for Penn State as they welcomed a ton of visitors to campus to see the program and watch spring practice.

With many high-valued targets on their list attending over the weekend, there was one that stood out the most based upon the importance of that position and the profile he has within the state.

That player is quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag].

Listed as the No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania, he also is ranked as the third-best QB in the country and the 17th overall player in his class according to On3.

This would be a huge get for the Nittany Lions after Zollers’ recruitment went national. His final four will be between Penn State, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, and Pittsburgh and the announcement will come on April 4.

That’s why this was such an important visit for both parties.

It was the last time that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and the offensive staff could put together a pitch with the recruit also getting to see how practices would work.

Zollers is visiting three schools in five days before making his decision, and his trip to Happy Valley was the first before he heads to Alabama and Georgia.

He spoke with Brian Dohn of 247Sports coming out of his visit this weekend and shared some insight into what took place and where Penn State stands following the trip (subscription required).

When asked what he wanted to see during this trip after already having visited six times previously, Zollers said he wanted to see what practice was like and how the communication was during meetings.

This was a great opportunity for these recruits to see how practice works, giving them an idea of what it’s like within the program.

Zollers also told Dohn that the coaching staff reiterated they want to coach him and want want him at Penn State.

With new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] inheriting the recruitment of the top prospect, developing a relationship is going to be paramount in this process.

Zollers said they discussed scheme and how he would fit into what Kotelnicki would run with him behind center, changing things to match what the quarterback’s strengths and weaknesses are.

Lastly, Dohn asked Zollers about his relationship with Franklin. The recruit said he likes the coach and has times where they communicate without discussing football.

Zollers will finish up his visits before ultimately making up his mind about which school he will attend and announce his decision on April 4.

Penn State hosts No. 1 2026 quarterback for visit

Penn State hopes to have left a solid impression on top-ranked QB in 2026 on recent visit.

Penn State is looking to lock up their 2025 recruiting class for the quarterback position still, but that’s not stopping [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his offensive staff from looking ahead to the next cycle.

Right now, the Nittany Lions have already secured one commit for the 2026 class in elite Pennsylvania running back [autotag]Messiah Mickens[/autotag].

There is no rush as the 2025 class is still being worked on as spring and summer camps are underway or are getting finalized with participants, but coaching staffs across the country are starting to host recruits from younger cycles.

Penn State is doing just that when they welcome elite 2026 quarterback [autotag]Faizon Brandon[/autotag] to campus on March 26.

The North Carolina native is ranked as the 46th-best recruit in his class according to On3’s Industry Rankings, but On3 themselves have him listed as the top quarterback and No. 12 overall player.

According to their database, the Nittany Lions haven’t offered Brandon, but that likely changes during his visit. The talented quarterback has amassed just under 20 offers from elite schools across the country.

Brandon is a 6’3″ 185-pounder who finished his last high school season with over 3,500 passing yards and 45 touchdowns.

Penn State will try to jump into consideration for the North Carolina quarterback as he has started visiting schools. There is a real focus on this position early in this class as the Nittany Lions have hosted two other top quarterbacks for visits as well.

With new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Danny O’Brien[/autotag] running the offense, it’s more important than ever that they start getting guys who fit their system onto campus and develop future relationships.

It looks like that’s what the class of 2026 will be for the quarterback position.

James Franklin on how Andy Kotelnicki will help Drew Allar in 2024

James Franklin says Andy Kotelnicki will have a few ways to help take the pressure off Drew Allar in 2024.

After a frustrating season with the offense in 2023, Penn State is hoping for much more positive and explosive results in 2024. Penn State hired one of the top offensive coordinators in the country this offseason with the addition of [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] from Kansas, and the transfer portal has likely helped add some potential to improve the passing game with the addition of [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] from Ohio State. But head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] knows all of these changes will only help out if Kotelnicki and quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], who is heading into his second season as the starting quarterback, get on the same page as early as possible.

Kotelnicki and Allar are getting more of a feel for each other this spring as football practices continue on and lead up to next month’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, but Franklin knows there will be a lot that goe sinto helping Allar take his game to the next level. And he belives Kotelnicki will use a number of things to help take the pressure off of Allar and improve his game this fall.

“I think some of the things that we can do to compliment the run game in the play action pass to create explosive plays to open really the field up and make them defend the whole 120 yards and the whole 53 and one-third, I think is really important, and I think the play-action pass will be a big part of that with Drew, with Andy, with our offense in general,” Franklin said in a recent press conference.

“The other thing is, I think some things that you can do that we did later in the season,” Franklin added. “I think the last two games, if you look at our explosive play percentage, it dramatically increased. I think there’s some things that you can do with the wide receivers in terms of motion, in terms of alignment, like stacks and bunches and things like that, that we can do to help our guys versus man coverage. I think that’s going to be really, really important for us as well.”

Penn State was lacking in explosive plays last season but the return of [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and the addition of Fleming could help change that a bit this fall. Opposing defenses were rarely threatened by Penn State’s wide receivers, so the hope will be that Kotelnicki finds ways to get the ball to Allar’s targets quicker so they can do some damage.

Quotes provided by Penn State athletics.

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New Penn State coordinator on CBS Sports’ list of most consequential offseason hires

Penn State’s new OC seen as one of the most consequential hires ahead of next season

Penn State is going into the next football season with two new coordinators. [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag], the former Indiana head coach on the defensive side, and former Kansas offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] to run the offense.

The latter has been tied to Kansas head coach Lance Leipold throughout his career and is now tasked with resurrecting an offense with talent but one that underperformed mightily a season ago.

CBS Sports’ David Cobb listed Kotelnicki seventh in his ten most consequential coordinator hires ahead of the 2024 college football season made during the offseason. Six out of the ten coaches on Cobb’s list are Big Ten coaches, making many teams in the reconfigured Big Ten on the short list of teams to watch this upcoming season.

Cobb notes that Kotelnicki has a tall task ahead of him and a significant amount of pressure to improve a unit that was not dynamic enough last year.

After more than a decade of working exclusively with Lance Leipold, Kotelnicki will be asked to mesh with 11th-year Penn State coach James Franklin and unlock the Nittany Lions’ offensive potential. Penn State is replacing both coordinators — Tom Allen is also stepping in for DC Manny Diaz, who accepted the Duke job — but the offense will be more closely scrutinized after a lack of explosiveness kept it from reaching its full potential in 2023. The Nittany Lions tied for 116th in plays of 25-plus yards last season with just 26. Kotelnicki’s offense at Kansas ranked No. 23 nationally with 50 plays of 25-plus yards, even while running the football far more often than throwing it. In theory, hiring Kotelnicki will allow Penn State to get more offensively dynamic while keeping its defensive identity and run-first ethos.

The word “unlock” strikes a chord with many Penn State fans. It seemed like the talent was there last year, but the production and consistency were severely lacking. Kotelnicki now has the pieces to run a high-powered offense, and his calling card of explosive plays while committing himself to running the ball seems to line up with what [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is looking for in his offense.

Without a doubt, Kotelnicki has his work cut out for him despite the talent, and all eyes will be on him to bring Penn State’s offense to a similar level as its defense.

Follow Charlie Strella on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.

Penn State heavily recruiting top in-state quarterback in 2025 class

Penn State wants the best in PA to stay in PA, including this quarterback target in 2025.

College football is getting more similar to the National Football League in the fact that to win big, teams need to have elite quarterback talent.

That wasn’t always the case, but it’s now more evident than ever that quarterbacks are driving the results of programs that are able to lift trophies at the end of the season.

Penn State has seemingly picked up on this, evident by their relentless pursuit of multiple quarterbacks in their last few classes.

2025 will be no different.

They have already secured a commitment from [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag], but that has not stopped them in their heavy pursuit of the top quarterback prospect in the state of Pennsylvania, [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag].

Rated as a four-star, Zollers is a 6′ 3″ 200-pound gunslinger who has a big arm and can move around in the pocket and scramble for large chunks of yards.

He will be visiting Happy Valley this weekend for the third and final Junior Day, marking his sixth visit to campus.

As an in-state prospect, his recruitment is not quite as straightforward as one might expect. He’s recently taken a much more national approach having spent time down south this past weekend visiting Florida, USF, Georgia, and Missouri instead of attending Junior Day at Penn State last weekend.

This has created a larger sense of urgency for the Nittany Lions to increase their recruitment of the four-star quarterback.

Sean Fitz of On3 (subscription required), recently said that Zollers is one of Penn State’s top-10 targets on the board and James Franklin visited him at his high school in Royersford, PA on Friday ahead of the Junior Day visit this weekend.

For all intents and purposes, the Nittany Lions are the favorites to land Zollers according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, but it’s still early in his process with other offers seemingly still coming in this spring.

This will be perhaps the most important visit he’s taken to Penn State as new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] starts to develop a relationship with him and he continues to build on the previous one he has with quarterbacks coach [autotag]Danny O’Brien[/autotag].

Penn State’s leading receiver poised to return for the 2024 season

Penn State’s leading receiver shared a social media post seemingly suggesting he has made up his mind for the 2024 season.

The wide receivers were Penn State’s worst position group throughout the 2023 season. It never seemed to completely click between the receivers and starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. No pass catcher surpassed the 700-yard mark or 53 receptions.

Yesterday evening, Penn State’s leading receiver from a season ago, [autotag]KeAndre Lambert Smith[/autotag], posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), giving a shoutout to Penn State’s NIL collective, Happy Valley United. Although this is technically not an explicit declaration of returning to State College, it does seem that the post, plus no announcement from Lambert-Smith about NFL draft plans, points to a return.

With former Ohio State wide receiver and former 5-star recruit [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] also now in the fold, the wide receiver room seems to be trending in the right direction. Lambert-Smith caught 53 passes for 673 yards and four touchdowns. The return of ‘KLS’ adds to the veteran leadership presence to mentor the younger guys like [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] and [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag].

Consistency will be key up and down the depth chart, but no doubt new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelenicki will count on Lambert-Smith and others to produce far better than last year. The receiver group will definitely be a position to watch throughout spring ball and as the season approaches.

Follow Charlie Strella on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.

Report: Boise State hires special teams coordinator Stacy Collins away from Penn State

Boise State hires special teams coordinator Stacy Collins away from Penn State

[autotag]James Franklin’s[/autotag] offseason will now include replacing all three coordinators on his staff. He already hired [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] to replace Mike Yurcich and [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] to replace Manny Diaz last month.

It was reported Friday morning by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Penn State’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach [autotag]Stacy Collins[/autotag] will be returning to Boise State. Collins coached at Boise State during the 2021 season before being hired by Franklin.

Based on Rittenberg’s report, it looks as if Collins will receive a promotion once returning to Boise, gaining the title of assistant head coach. The special teams unit stood out this year and seemed to never miss a beat on gameday. His work with the linebackers and recruiting prowess will definitely be missed in Happy Valley. Collins was also a major factor in handing over punter returning duties to nickel cornerback [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] partway through last season. Hardy flourished in his new role and even returned two punts for touchdowns against UMass.

It is now a full-blown turnover for Penn State’s coaching staff under Franklin, with three new hires all in the matter of one offseason. Whoever takes the reigns of Collins’ room has plenty of talent to work with, including star running back and returner [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], along with punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] and Tulsa transfer [autotag]Chase Meyer[/autotag] at kicker.

Follow Charlie Strella on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.

2025 four-star QB has Penn State in top six

Penn State makes top six for four-star QB in 2025

Despite the negative discourse that currently surrounds Penn State and their former five-star quarterback, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], the struggles in the 2023-24 season doesn’t seem to have deterred others around the country from viewing the Nittany Lions in a positive light.

Penn State was able to keep their class of 2024 commit, [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], and got him to sign during the early signing period.

They also have a commitment from 2025 three-star quarterback, [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag], under their belts already.

Now, the Nittany Lions have made the top six of 2025 four-star quarterback and coveted recruit [autotag]Malik Washington[/autotag].

The 6’4″ 200 pound Maryland native has been high on Penn State’s list throughout his recruitment, getting him in for nine unofficial visits so far. The last time he visited was during the Michigan game.

Others who made his list are Texas A&M, Oregon, Maryland, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

Washington is ranked as the 20th best quarterback in the country and No. 6 overall player in the state of Maryland, according to On3’s industry rankings.

But despite Penn State already having a commitment in the class of 2025, that has not deterred his interest in the Nittany Lions according to Ryan Snyder of On3 (subscription required).

Washington told Snyder he knows he’ll have to compete no matter which program he chooses to play for.

With Penn State hiring new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag], a new relationship will have to be formed between the two, something that Kotelnicki told him he’s excited to do.

Washington said they haven’t met yet, but that they have been in communication.

As far as where the Nittany Lions stand with the four-star quarterback, Snyder was told that all six schools on his list are pretty even for him right now despite Penn State holding the edge in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

According to those projections, Penn State is in the lead with a 63.5% chance to sign him, while Maryland is second with a 12.8% chance and Virginia Tech is third with a 11.0% chance.

There is still a long way to go in his recruitment, but this is a good sign for the Nittany Lions as they enter another era with a new offensive coordinator.

No. 1 overall prospect 2025 QB Bryce Underwood set to announce his decision on Saturday

This could be the biggest commit in Penn State football history.

With signing day over for the 2024 class, the college football world is about to find out the college decision for the no. 1 player in the 2025 class with Belleville (Mich.) High five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood announced his decision on Saturday.

Underwood’s decision is expected to come around 5:30 pm. After releasing his top-7 schools on November 6, he is expected to choose between Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Colorado, Penn State, Florida State, and Oregon. Underwood currently has two 247Sports crystal ball predictions for LSU.

He has taken visits to each of his final seven schools, including attending the Penn State whiteout game this past fall. Underwood spoke about his seven finalists in an interview with 247Sports. He had this to say about Penn State:

“Coach (Danny) O’Brien has been a big factor with me having them on my list. I feel like, without coach O’Brien, they wouldn’t be in the position they are, in my eye. They have a great coaching staff. They push their players amazing and it’s a great place to be.”

Based on Underwood’s recent comments, it sure seems that Penn State is an underdog in recruiting the top player in the 2025 class. [autotag]Danny O’Brien[/autotag] clearly made a huge impact on Underwood’s decision to keep Penn State around this long during his recruitment, and perhaps new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] can influence the decision even more.

It would be a surprise if, come Saturday evening, Penn State has a commitment from the top player in the country. However, they have stayed involved and are perceived by many as only behind frontrunners LSU and Michigan for Underwood’s commitment. Colorado is also lurking around with Penn State in that second wave of schools, but at this point, any school not named Michigan or LSU would be a surprise.

Only time will tell if Penn State can beat out its Big Ten rival and LSU for Underwood, but by Saturday, we will have an answer.

5 takeaways from Penn State’s brutal loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl

5 takeaways from Penn State’s brutal loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl

It was a day to forget for the Nittany Lions, who came to Atlanta looking for a statement win, but it turned into a statement 38-25 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. It was a struggle in all phases for Penn State, who couldn’t stop the run, the pass, and even had a fourth-quarter field goal attempt blocked.

Despite starting the game with a positive field goal drive and a few good runs, the offense never got into a rhythm. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] and the passing game struggled mightily, only hitting on a big play on a fluke-tipped pass to Tyler Warren for 75 yards, which ironically ended up being Penn State’s longest play of the season.

The defense, missing its top two corners and best edge defender, was no match for the up-tempo explosive offensive that is the Rebels. Ole Miss had its way running and throwing the football, dicing up the Penn State secondary every which way.

It will be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions rebound from a now 3 loss season. All three losses will have happened against top-11 opponents where the Penn State offense looked absolutely anemic. No matter the fallout, Drew Allar and new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] will have an enormous amount of pressure on themselves to improve the offense going into next year.

After an all-around pathetic performance, here are five takeaways from Penn State’s Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss.