Penn State Media Day: What They Said and What has Happened Part 1 – Coaches and Coordinators

View coverage of Media Day filmed by Emmet Mahon.

The 2023 season was a mixed bag for the Nittany Lions. Head Coach James Franklin reached double digit wins again but was unable to beat either Ohio State or Michigan. Penn State had a lackluster performance in the Peach Bowl, losing to Mississippi 38-25. On the bright side, the Nittany Lions were one of the nation’s best under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Younger player took a performance leap in 2023, and four defensive players were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, led by first round selection DE Chop Robinson (20 th , Miami Dolphins). Also selected were DE Adisa Isaac (93 rd , Baltimore Ravens), CB Daequan Hardy (219 th , Buffalo Bills), and CB Kalen King (255th , Green Bay Packers). A defense that was as productive as Penn State’s is bound to catch the attention of other programs and it did with the Duke Blue Devils who hired Diaz to be their new head coach.

The offense was the source of staff and fans’ frustrations. Supremely talented sophomore quarterback Drew Allar did a good job protecting the ball in his first year as a starter, however, his season was notable for a lack of big plays and indecisiveness, especially against the Big Ten’s best teams. Stud running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen saw their production slip from their 1,000 yard freshmen seasons. This despite playing behind three 2024 draftees, OT Olumuyiwa “Ola” Fashanu (11 th , New York Jets) and OL Caedan Wallace (68 th , New England Patriots), and OL Hunter Nourzad (159 th , Kansas City Chiefs). The wide receivers failed as a group to provide a legitimate threat to opposing defenses. This left the bulk of the receiving damage to be done by the tight ends, notably Theo Johnson (107 th , New York Giants) and returning senior Tyler Warren. The lack of aggressiveness and production cost Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich his job mid-season.

To fill the coaching voids, Franklin hired former Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen as his new defensive coordinator and Andy Kotelnicki to be his new offensive coordinator. Kotelnicki

joined the Nittany Lions after two seasons in the same role at Kansas. Allen led Indiana to some of the most successful seasons in program history, largely due to an aggressive defense that held more talented offenses in check. Kotelnicki developed a reputation as an innovative play caller who regularly ran unique sets and personnel packages that kept opposing defenses on their heels. His hiring represented a direct contrast to the ultra-conservative Yurcich.

Franklin also had to replace Special Teams Coordinator Stacy Collins, who left to become the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at Boise State. Justin Lustig was hired from Vanderbilt to replace Collins. It is rare for a head coach of a Power Five team to have to replace all three coordinator in an off-season but that was the situation Franklin found himself in after the 2023 season.

When Franklin and his coordinators met with the assembled media, one theme resonated through the remarks—aggressiveness. Franklin specifically mentioned he hired Kotelnicki because of his ability to produce “explosive plays.” It was his belief that Kotelnicki’s approach to offense would maximize the considerable talent on the Nittany Lions’ roster. The most critical need for Penn State success must be from the quarterbacks playing better. When asked about his quarterback room, particularly the growth of Allar, Franklin said, “I would really say the whole group. Drew, Beau (Pribula), Grunk (Ethan Grunkemeyer), (Jaxon) Smolik. I’ve been as impressed with Smolik’s growth and how he has handled this situation as anybody. I think the dialogue is really good. I typically sit in the quarterback meetings, and I think the dialogue and discussions are really good.”

Kotelnicki followed up on that sentiment by addressing the need to get the football into the hands of their best players, “I think first, the most important step is identifying them. Sometimes they are very clear cut; ‘Hey, this is a dude’. Other times, reps and practice and things of that nature start to reveal those things a little bit. So, the identification process is important. How we practice, the number of reps that we get allow us to feel really good about it. We challenge our guys in the evaluation process, as a matter of fact, when they ask how they get on the field, the first thing is to be able to consistently do what we do in practice, if you can do things over and over again, that’s the best indicator of how we do it. So, it starts with the identification.”

Allen enters 2024 with the benefit of having a bevy of the program’s best players returning. Dani Dennis-Sutton continues to grow as an edge rusher and will be joined by star Abdul Carter is making the surprise switch from linebacker to defensive end. Linebacker will continue to be LBU with sophomore Tony Rojas and senior Kobe King seeing the bulk of the action. The defensive backfield will be Allen’s greatest question mark with three starters graduating. He indicated that initial plans are to begin the season with a heavy rotation of six or seven cornerbacks. Of the potential rotation, Allen said, “It was a position when I was first hired that we were concerned about, losing three guys from that position to the NFL, there was an obvious hole to fill. I knew we had some talented players; I just didn’t know (how) they were going to develop. That became a major focus. Obviously, (we) brought in two transfers mid-year that have turned out to be tremendous assets to our program in so many different ways. That room was one of our question marks and has now turned into possibly one of the strengths on our whole defense”

Lustig has the luxury of having the fewest unknowns among the three coordinators. Penn State returns place kicker Sander Sahaydak and punter Riley Thompson. Depth and competition has been added with Tulsa transfer place kicker Chase Meyer. Also returning is kickoff specialist and back up punter Gabriel Nwosu. Lustig anticipated that wide receiver Kaden Saunders would be the primary punt returner, however stated that return duties could be rotated among Anthony Ivey, Quinton Martin, Jr, and Josiah Brown.

Now that the out of conference schedule has been completed and Big Ten play begins this week, much of what the coaching staff anticipated is playing out. Allar looks like a different player and Kotelnicki has run plays that would confuse old school, black shoe, Penn State fans. The number of explosive plays in three games is more than all of last season. There have been adjustments with Allen, particularly with his unique 4-2-5 look and with players adjusting to new assignments. As expected, the special teams remains a consistent unit that has not fallen victim to turnovers or big plays.

In parts two and three, the players and coaches that will be responsible for the Nittany Lions’ success or failure share their thoughts and how those thoughts match the early season performance.