How a former Penn State star became a selling point for KU football’s tight ends
Andy Kotelnicki’s influence on Kansas football’s offense cannot be overstated.
That was true of KU’s associate head coach when he was previously the offensive coordinator under Lance Leipold. And it remains the case in his new role since returning.
Perhaps no position group feels that effect more than KU’s tight ends — the position he used to coach in Lawrence.
Just ask Albany transfer Carter Moses, who raved that what Kotelnicki has done is different from other coaches in his past.
What makes him different, Moses told The Star, is “the way he switches a lot of plays and makes things look similar and uses motions and stuff to be able to disguise different plays on offense.”
This season, KU returns two tight ends in Leyton Cure and Carson Bruhn while adding two transfers in Moses and Jailen Butler from Old Dominion, along with a slew of walk-ons.
Kotelnicki and co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Matt Lubick have worked closely with this group during the spring. Last year, the position was led by breakout contributor Boden Groen and Deshawn Hanika.
Both players have exhausted their eligibility. Hanika suffered a season-ending injury in October and Groen took on a bigger role. He finished with 36 receptions for 450 yards and five touchdowns.
“Depth — last year we had two tight ends (Hanika and Bruhn) in the starting rotation that got hurt,” Lubick said. “I think we have more depth this year. We have eight healthy tight ends right now, so that’s a big thing.”
It’s well-documented that Kotelnicki loves to feature tight ends in his offenses. That was perhaps no more evident than when he was the offensive coordinator for Penn State.
He was the OC when former Penn State star Tyler Warren caught 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He also ran for four touchdowns and eventually was drafted No. 14-overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Both transfer tight ends pointed out Kotelnicki’s success with Warren as one of the reasons why they picked Kansas.
“(Warren) was a tight end that was a Heisman Trophy candidate and had stats that were off the charts, and part of it was he’s a really good football player,” Lubick said, “but part of it was the play design and the uniqueness and creativity of moving him around. And so we’re trying to do that.
“Now, I’m not saying we have Tyler Warren on our football team right now. Who knows, we might — we’re trying to get guys like that. But we have some pretty good football players, and I think they’re excited about the creativity and the different things that we can do with them.”
Several of those players are fired up about Kotelnicki’s return. That includes Bruhn, who was recruited to Kansas by Kotelnicki before he departed for Penn State.
“Slight adjustments with Coach K being back at OC, but I love that,” Bruhn said. “I was really excited. It was devastating when he left, but when I saw he came back, it was awesome because I know how good of an OC he is and how well he uses tight ends.
“... He brings some great creativity and a great mind to the room.”
