James Franklin is expected to hire Andy Kotelnicki to be the next offensive coordinator of the Penn State football program, sources report on Thursday. The move comes nearly three weeks after Franklin fired Mike Yurcich as Penn State offensive coordinator on November 12.

Kotelnicki comes to Happy Valley after serving as offensive coordinator at Kansas. The sixth offensive coordinator in his 10 years with the Nittany Lions, the hire is widely viewed as the most significant coaching staff decision Franklin has had to make to date.

Penn State expected to hire Andy Kotelnicki as next offensive coordinator

The search for Penn State’s next offensive coordinator has heated up in recent days. Penn State football coach James Franklin met with potential candidates via Zoom last weekend following Friday’s 42-0 win over Michigan State.

As the week progressed, it appeared that the focus had centered on Kansas OC Andy Kotelnicki. Franklin reportedly traveled to Lawrence early in the week to visit Kotelnicki in person. Discussion around other candidates has mostly died down for the moment. It seems to be a waiting game for if, or when, Kotelnicki receives an offer from Franklin.

And it appears the waiting game may soon be over. First reported by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, it seems as if Andy Kotelnicki is set to become the next offensive coordinator for Penn State. Kotelnick has been with Kansas coach Lance Leipold at multiple destinations, including Buffalo and Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Jayhawks have put up at least 7 yards per play in each of the last two seasons.

What was James Franklin looking for in the next Penn State offensive coordinator?

James Franklin fired Mike Yurcich as Penn State offensive coordinator on November 12, one day following the Nittany Lions’ 24-15 loss to Michigan at home.

While Penn State football was able to get a jump on the coaching search, the wheels were really set in motion following the regular season finale. In the hours after the 42-0 win over Michigan State, James Franklin began meeting with offensive coordinator candidatesvia Zoom.

While admittedly a smaller candidate pool than some may expect, Franklin noted that the most important factor in a hire was finding someone with a proven track record that can help Penn State football get over its biggest opponents.

“Our [offensive] numbers are pretty good,” Franklin said in the days leading up to the Michigan State game. “But we got to make sure that we put ourselves in the best position based on the teams that we need to beat. And have the data to back it up, and evidence to back it up, and the experience to back it up. So, that’s really the biggest difference.”

College football will look drastically different in 2024, with a new-look Big Ten and the introduction of a 12-team College Football Playoff. But given the level of expectations around the program for this two-year window in 2023 and 2024, it’s likely the learning curve for Kotelnicki will be short. And for better or worse, it’s likely that James Franklin’s tenure with Penn State football could be defined by this hire.