How Andy Kotelnicki Approaches Recruiting at Penn State

Penn State's new offensive coordinator calls the program a "national brand" that has mastered the people business.

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki watches running back Nicholas Singleton during practice at Holuba Hall. / Max Ralph/AllPennState

Before running a practice or calling a play at Penn State, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki went recruiting. That’s the job of college football coaches, who hit the road before they even have a place to live at their new school. All they need is some gear, an itinerary, and a priority list of recruits. And that’s how it went for Kotelnicki, who quickly hit the recruiting trail for the Nittany Lions after being hired as offensive coordinator in December 2023.

Kotelnicki is familiar with the routine. He coached with one Power 5 and one Group of 5 program before coming to Penn State, recruiting at Kansas and Buffalo for nine years. Kotelnicki also has recruited in Division III at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he assisted coach Lance Leipold in winning two national championships. But Penn State is different, which Kotelnicki understands.

So what has recruiting been like for Kotelnicki at Penn State? The offensive coordinator discussed the process in a recent media session during Penn State's spring practice.

“It’s a national brand,” Kotelnicki told reporters in State College. “Everyone knows it and knows that this has been one of the best football programs historically for a long time — this place, this fan base. It does speak for itself.”

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However, Kotelnicki said the Penn State coaching staff doesn’t recruit solely on brand. Head coach James Franklin asks a lot of his staff in recruiting, notably having coordinators take active roles on the road. Franklin said that Kotelnicki and new defensive coordinator Tom Allen have embraced those roles. As Franklin noted, the 2024 recruiting class did not lose a player after the program changed all three coordinators during the offseason.

“Some coordinators don’t have as active a role in recruiting; we do,” Franklin told reporters in State College after practice. “We take a layered approach. It’s not just one guy. If you lose that one guy, you’re in trouble. We have multiple guys, whether it’s the position coach, coordinator or area recruiter.”

The Nittany Lions’ 2025 recruiting class currently ranks fifth nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. Kotelnicki believes that success goes far beyond brand.

“You can’t get stuck in a situation where you’re trying to just allow a logo to do it for you because at the end of the day, we’re in the people business,” Kotelnicki said. “And I think when players and recruits come here, they’ll get a real quick observation that we’re very genuine and sincere from the head coach on down. It’s an awesome place, but I think people would choose to come here because of the people who are here wearing that brand.”

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.