NCAAF
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Andy Kotelnicki moved from one end of the practice field to the other as Penn State changed drills one day this spring. James Franklin, trailing behind and smiling as he spoke with wide receiver Malick Meiga, shouted in the direction of his new offensive coordinator.
“Hey, Kotelnicki, give him a hug!” Franklin yelled.
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“Which one? KeAndre?” Kotelnicki joked as he looked toward senior wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. “I ain’t giving him a hug!”
Lambert-Smith, who had just been praised for running a nice route, smiled. Kotelnicki and the rest of the receivers laughed too before hopping into the next drill. Lighthearted moments like that have been noticeable during Penn State’s practices this spring.
“It’s been a grueling spring, but in a good way,” senior tight end Tyler Warren said. “We’ve been working hard, but we’ve been doing good. We’re having fun.”
Kotelnicki, an extension of Lance Leipold’s coaching tree, was hired away from Kansas after the 2023 season. Though Kotelnicki is known for his creativity as a play caller, his personality is a big part of what’s helped players buy into his offense at his previous stops. He’s energetic, funny and quirky.
“It’s a really different offense,” Nicholas Singleton said. “I won’t compare it, but I’m excited. You can tell everybody is excited. It gets me hyped. Coach Andy is a really good coach. The plays he has installed for us, it’s been really good — and it’s been working too. I’m excited.”Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
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That’s three exciteds from the usually quiet and even-keeled running back.
Here’s what else I’ve learned and observed as Penn State begins the final week of spring ball, which culminates Saturday with the Blue-White Game at 2 p.m. in Beaver Stadium:
It’s easy to get wrapped up in Julian Fleming mania this spring. The Ohio State graduate transfer has made a favorable impression, and his role on the team will be crucial. But lost in the shuffle is Lambert-Smith, last year’s No. 1 receiver who faded down the stretch. Penn State needs him to emerge as a consistent big-play threat, and it sounds like Lambert-Smith has been doing that in the spring.
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Maybe he will get that hug from the OC after all.
“He’s shown some real flashes this spring — and I’m seeing them on a more consistent basis,” Franklin said. “I think Coach K’s done a really good job with him as well. They seem to have a really good relationship. I think (wide receivers coach) Marques (Hagans) has done a really good job of developing relationships with the whole room. Obviously, we need him to have a big year and expect him to have a big year.”
Fleming, Lambert-Smith and Harrison Wallace III form an intriguing trio. Now, keeping that group healthy, which was the issue for Wallace last season and has been for Fleming throughout his collegiate career, is another story.
🎙️ Mic’d Up: Coach Kotelnicki – Offensive Coordinator#WeAre | @Kotelnicki pic.twitter.com/eYPby3xh0G
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) March 21, 2024
Quarterback Drew Allar said he’s “really comfortable” with the offense thus far.
“We’re getting to the same plays that we’ve been doing all spring, but through different formations, shifts, motions, things of that nature,” Allar said. “Everybody’s learning the concepts and not just one part of the concept. They’re learning the full concept. We want to get to the point hopefully at the end of the spring cycle and moving into fall camp where all the receivers can be plug-and-play at all the positions. They’re not just an H, not just an X. They can play H, X and Z and even Y if we need to.”
We know plenty of eyes will be on this receiving corps, especially after the struggles last season. Having a group of players who can move around and an offense that can scheme them open might be the perfect fix for what’s ailed this group.
The 6-foot-5 Allar said he’s between 240 and 243 pounds, which is similar to his listed weight last season. However, it sounds like Allar was playing a bit over that weight last season. Getting leaner has become a point of emphasis. Allar said he’d like to lose “a little more” weight this spring and summer and is still working to change his eating habits.
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He said he feels “really good” with the changes he’s made to his physique.
“It’s really helped me movement-wise,” Allar said. “Just doing a bunch of extra mobility work with the athletic trainers on our staff. I’ve been doing a lot more work in the training room and I think that’s helped me a lot be more fluid in my movement.”
Drew Shelton, the projected starting left tackle, is sidelined this spring while recovering from a surgical procedure. Though the bulk of Rucci’s reps at Wisconsin came as the backup left tackle, he’s worked mostly at right tackle with the Nittany Lions. The right tackle competition between Rucci and redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh, among others, is shaping up to be one of the most interesting of the offseason.
“I’ve really appreciated the competition,” Rucci said. “I think Anthony Donkoh and some other guys have really stepped my game up and made sure I’m preparing every way that I can.”
GO DEEPER
Penn State’s transfer class headliners know they have much to prove
J’ven Williams is one of the most intriguing young prospects on the roster. The highly regarded left tackle, a top-50 prospect in the Class of 2023, will need to get his weight up to around 310, per strength coach Chuck Losey, but Williams’ upside is significant. The redshirt freshman was roommates on the road with Olu Fashanu last season. Surely that was by design.
“I don’t want to make it sound bad, but it was basically like a Q&A every road game,” Fashanu said with a laugh. “He was just asking me questions about my process, what I did to get to where I’m at right now. He’s the type of guy that’s going to retain that information and use it to his advantage.”
Williams is now wearing Fashanu’s old number 74.
Franklin laughs about it, but he’s heard several stray whistles on his practice field this spring. Allen, the former Indiana head coach, sometimes forgets that’s not his responsibility anymore.
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“Now he comes in and he makes me take it off and put it in my pocket,” Allen, Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, said with a laugh. “I’m so trained to blow the whistle as the head coach. Been doing it the last seven years. I remember one time he said, ‘Who blew the whistle?’ And honestly, I didn’t even realize that I blew the whistle because I’m just used to doing it. … I think I kind of ticked him off the first time it happened, but that’s OK.”
With or without a whistle, Allen can still be heard on the practice field. His voice was nearly gone after one practice. Safety Jaylen Reed, who was recruited by Allen at Indiana, said the Lions’ new coordinator is very invested in getting to know his new players.
“Just in and out of the building, every time you see him he’s giving you a hug,” Reed said. “He always has a smile on his face. I’ve still yet to see him really get angry. During practice he’ll pull you to the side, have little conversations that we’re really not used to.”
Penn State helped fill a need at defensive end when Carter made the move from linebacker, but he created a need for some depth at his old position. It will be a process.
“We got a group of guys that have played a lot of football for us, then we’ve got a group of guys that need to take the next step — that we’re excited about,” Franklin said. “When you think about guys like Ta’Mere (Robinson), (Kaveion) Keys, kind of those next young guys that need to continue to grow up and evolve and we’re seeing signs of it.”
Penn State knows what it has with Kobe King in the middle and Tony Rojas on the outside. Rojas, a top-100 recruit in the Class of 2023, will be a popular pick as a breakout player in 2024.
Cornerbacks Jalen Kimber and A.J. Harris didn’t leave Florida and Georgia to sit around at Penn State. The Nittany Lions were aggressive in the transfer portal with these additions, and regardless of how starting spots shake out among Kimber, Harris, Cam Miller, Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington II, position coach Terry Smith is going to play a lot of cornerbacks.
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Audavion Collins, a redshirt sophomore who started his career at Mississippi State and appeared in six games last season primarily on special teams, will be one to keep an eye on in the offseason.
“AC is very intentional with what he does,” Kimber said. “He’s aggressive. He’s a dog, honestly. He’s gonna fight to the finish. Don’t think that you’re just gonna get over easy on AC because that’s not happening, honestly. AC plays with a lot of passion, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what he’s gonna do.”
I’m not sure how Penn State can keep all of these players satisfied in the portal era — and keep in mind the next transfer window opens April 16 — but it sure looks like the staff reloaded after having three NFL departures.
Franklin didn’t want to hire a coordinator who was going to overhaul the defense. There’s no need to do that, especially after how successful that side of the ball was last season.
“I don’t think the scheme is that much different,” Reed said. “Him and coach Manny Diaz’s scheme is pretty similar, run a lot of the same types of things. I would say one thing coach Allen does more is he runs a lot more nickel personnel. He brings more DBs on the field more than coach Manny.”
New special teams coordinator Justin Lustig has noted how calm Saunders is when fielding the ball and believes he has big-play potential. It’s not too surprising considering the wide receiver was the primary punt returner at the beginning of last season and held the role through five games.
Lustig will oversee a kicking competition between Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer, scholarship kicker Sander Sahaydak and walk-on Ryan Barker. I’d expect Franklin to put the kickers through some stressful scenarios in the stadium Saturday in front of a crowd. Franklin said they’ve wanted to get in the stadium more this spring but haven’t been able to because of the weather.
(Top photo of KeAndre Lambert-Smith: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
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Audrey Snyder has covered Penn State since 2012 for various outlets, including The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Patriot-News and DKPittsburghSports. Snyder is an active member of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) and is the professional adviser for Penn State’s student chapter. Follow Audrey on Twitter @audsnyder4
