‘Can’t wait’: Kansas Jayhawks bring back offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Andy Kotelnicki returns to Kansas as associate head coach after Penn State.
- He led KU offenses to top program scoring and efficiency gains in 2022-23.
- Leipold cites Kotelnicki’s decade-plus collaboration and Penn State experience.
He’s back.
Former Kansas offensive coordinator/ associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki is returning to the Kansas Jayhawks football program as associate head coach to head coach Lance Leipold.
Kotelnicki left Lawrence for the offensive coordinator job at Penn State in December 2023. He spent two years in that role before departing this offseason when the Nittany Lions fired head coach James Franklin
“I care deeply about the University of Kansas, and my family and I are thrilled to be back at a university that has been so good to us” Kotelnicki, 45, said in a KU news release. “Working alongside Coach Leipold has been one of the highlights of my career, and I’m excited to rejoin him and the entire staff at KU. I’m very grateful to Coach, Athletic Director Travis Goff and Chancellor Doug Girod for welcoming us back. I can’t wait to get to work.”
A Minnesota native, Kotelnicki was at Kansas from 2021-23. He has coached at Leipold’s side for 11 seasons, dating to their days at Wisconsin-Whitewater and then at Buffalo.
“We are excited to welcome Andy and his family back to Lawrence,” Leipold said in the Jayhawks’ news release. “Andy is familiar with our staff and culture, has run successful offenses for nearly two decades, and his experience over the past two seasons at Penn State will add to our program in a variety of ways. Having worked with Andy for 11 years, I’m looking forward to him rejoining this current staff as associate head coach.”
The importance of Kotelnicki’s return to KU can’t be overstated. During the 2022 season, Kotelnicki led the Jayhawks’ offense to new heights. Kansas went from ranking 104th in yards per play to fifth (7.00), and from 91st to fifth in passing efficiency.
The following season, he helped guide KU to a No. 21 overall ranking in points scored despite using three different quarterbacks due to injuries. Kotelnicki helped ensure that KU made back-to-back bowl games.
In fact, the Jayhawks’ 2022 and 2023 squads boasted two of the three highest-scoring offenses in program history. The 2022 team averaged 35.6 points per game, the 2023 squad 34.8.
Since then, Kansas’ offense has been inconsistent. The Jayhawks hope Kotelnicki can help revive a program that failed to qualify for a bowl in 2024 and 2025.
