Kotelnicki joins the Nittany Lions after spending three seasons as Kansas’ offensive coordinator, including the 2023 season as the associate head coach. He played a key role in the Kansas turnaround, winning 16 games in his first three seasons after the program reached 16 wins total in the previous nine seasons.
Over the last three seasons, Kotelnicki’s Kansas offense has been explosive, ranking 12th in the country in 20+ yard plays (8.3%), 15th in 30+ yard plays (3.89%) and 11th in 40+ yard plays (2.12%) during that span. Additionally, KU ranks 10th in the country in 15+ yard pass plays (20.97%) in the last three years.
The Jayhawks have scored 40+ points in nine games during the three-year window and 50+ points in five games. Kansas has reached the 400 total yards mark in 20 games and 500 total yards in 11 games, while rushing for 200 yards in 16 games and 300 yards in three games.
The Kansas offense has been efficient in the red zone and on third downs over the last three seasons, ranking 11th in red zone touchdown percentage (68.24) and 16th in third down conversion percentage (44.9).
Coaching Accomplishments
- In his third season with Kansas, Kotelnicki led an offense which ranks seventh in the nation in yards per completion (14.76), eighth in rushing offense (211.3), 13th in third down conversion percentage (48.1) and 17th in passing efficiency (158.6).
- Under Kotelnicki’s guidance, QB Jason Bean is fourth in the country in yards per completion (16.01) and 12th in passing efficiency (162.5), while RB Devin Neal ranks eighth in yards per carry (6.61) and rushing touchdowns (15) and 16th in rushing yards per game (100.8).
- Kansas sits eighth in the nation this season in yards per play (7.01), yards per rush (5.51) and explosive play percentage (17.23), while holding ninth in first down efficiency (56.4%) and rushing touchdowns per game (2.58).
- The Jayhawks rank eighth in the country in plays of 10+ yards (24.63%) and 20+ yards (9.02), 11th in plays of 40+ yards (2.42) and 15th in plays of 30+ yards (4.31).
- Kansas is eighth in pass plays of 15+ yards (24.38%) and 17th in run plays of 12+ yards (12.83).
- During the 2022 season, Kotelnicki guided one of the most prolific offensive attacks in Kansas history, as the Jayhawks averaged a school-record 7.0 yards per play, ranking second nationally behind Ohio State (7.6).
- Kansas had 41 plays of 31+ yards throughout the 2022 season, which ranked seventh nationally, and posted six games of 500 yards or more on offense, including 603 yards in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, which was a Kansas bowl game record and the seventh-most in program history.
- KU averaged 438.6 yards per game, the program’s second-best mark since 1950, and scored 63 total touchdowns, which was 27 more than any final tally over the prior 10 seasons for the program.
- The Jayhawks scoring offense improved by 14.8 points from 2021, which ranked second nationally behind only Washington.
- The KU offense also ranked fourth in the country in passing efficiency (164.26), eighth in third down conversion percentage (50.6%), 21st in scoring offense (35.6) and seventh in fewest sacks allowed (0.92 per game).
- The 2022 offense was successful with a duo of quarterbacks under center, as Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean combined to throw for 32 touchdowns, while running back Devin Neal averaged 6.1 yards per carry, ranking 24th in the country and third in the Big 12.
- In Kotelnicki’s first season at KU in 2021, the Jayhawks averaged 324.2 yards per game, compared to 259.2 yards in 2020, and allowed just 16 sacks in 12 games, compared to 47 in only nine games a year before.
- Additionally, the Kansas offense averaged 5.2 yards per play in his first season after the program averaged 3.7 yards per play in 2020, increased its points per game by five, increased its rushing yards per game by more than 35 yards and increased its third down conversion percentage by 13%.
- Prior to his arrival at Kansas, Kotelnicki directed some of the best offenses in school history at the University of Buffalo.
- In 2020, where Kotelnicki was named one of four finalists for the FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year Award, the Bulls went 6-1 and averaged school records of 478.4 yards of total offense and 287.4 rushing yards per contest. UB ranked second in the nation in rushing (287.4) and fifth in scoring at 43.5 points per game, while its 32 rushing touchdowns were four shy of the school record in only seven games played.
- Bulls All-American running back Jaret Patterson led the nation in rushing, averaging 178.7 yards per game in 2020. Against Kent State, he tied an FBS record with eight rushing touchdowns and rushed for 409 yards, the second-most in FBS history.
- In 2019, the Buffalo offense under Kotelnicki ranked 10th in the nation in rushing, tallying 3,256 yards, shattering the single-season school record. Patterson rushed for a school-record 1,799 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2019 and ranked fifth in the nation in rushing, while Kevin Marks rushed for 1,035 yards – marking the first time in school history UB had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.
- Buffalo featured a record-breaking offense in 2018, setting single-season school records for total offense (5,803 yards) and offensive touchdowns (64) with quarterback Tyree Jackson being name the 2018 MAC Offensive Player of the Year – the first time in school history a Buffalo player won the award.
- Patterson was named the named the MAC Freshman of the Year, scoring 14 touchdowns and Marks scoring 13, marking the first time in school history two different players scored 13 or more touchdowns in the same season.
- Buffalo’s offense made significant progress under Kotelnicki in 2017, ranking sixth in the nation in most improved scoring offense, sixth in most improved passing offense and eighth in fewest turnovers.
- Prior to Buffalo, Kotelnicki spent two seasons at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he won two national championships and went 30-0 overall as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
- The Warhawks led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in scoring (40.1), rushing (218.2) and passing (269.5) in 2014 and paced the WIAC and ranked among the top five in the nation in first downs (311), interceptions allowed (1) and turnover margin (+2.3) in 2013.
- Prior to Whitewater, Kotelnicki served as offensive coordinator at the University of Mary, an NCAA Division II school in Bismarck, North Dakota, for two seasons. In his first year as coordinator, the Marauders scored more than 10 points per game more than the previous season and led the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in scoring offense, total offense and passing efficiency.
- Kotelnicki spent five seasons (2006-10) leading the offense at UW-River Falls, where the Falcons set 24 offensive school records during his second stint.
- He worked at Western Illinois, where he coached tight ends, special teams and the offensive line, from 2004-05.
Personal
Hometown:
Litchfield, Minnesota
Education: Wisconsin-River Falls, 2004 - B.S. Exercise and Sport Science; Western Illinois, 2006 - M.S. Kinesiology
Family: Wife: Lindsey; Son: Maximus; Daughter: Joy
Coaching Career
2024 – Penn State (Offensive Coordinator)
2023 – Kansas (Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator)
2021-22 – Kansas (Offensive Coordinator)
2015-20 – Buffalo (Offensive Coordinator)
2013-14 – Wisconsin Whitewater (Offensive Coordinator)
2011-12 – Mary (Offensive Coordinator)
2010 – Wisconsin-River Falls (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator)
2006-09 – Wisconsin-River Falls (Offensive Coordinator)
2004-05 – Western Illinois (Special Teams, Tight Ends, Offensive Line)
Playing Experience
- Wisconsin-River Falls (2001-03)
Bowl Games/Postseason as a Coach
- 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl - Kansas
- 2022 Liberty Bowl - Kansas
- 2022 Camellia Bowl - Buffalo
- 2020 Camellia Bowl - Buffalo
- 2019 Bahamas Bowl - Buffalo
- 2018 Dollar General Bowl - Buffalo
- 2014 Wisconsin-Whitewater - Division III National Champions
- 2013 Wisconsin-Whitewater - Division III National Champions