Kansas Jayhawks football reportedly losing offensive coordinator Kotelnicki to Penn St.
Kansas associate head coach/ offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is departing the Jayhawks for an offensive coordinator job with Penn State, the Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported on Thursday.
A Kansas Athletics official did not confirm the report, but on Thursday afternoon the football program announced that quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski has been elevated to co-offensive Coordinator, and that defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson has been elevated to co-defensive coordinator. Peterson will share the role of defensive coordinator with Brian Borland.
“Both Jim Zebrowski and Jordan Peterson have been vital to the Kansas football program and will continue to elevate us in their new roles,” Leipold said in a news release. “In working with both of them, their relationship building, coaching ability and commitment to Kansas football is extremely strong.”
Zebrowski earned a nomination for the Broyles Award, an honor given to the nation’s top assistant coach. But losing Kotelnicki is a tough blow for KU, as he’d been a part of Leipold’s staffs since 2013 at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater.
When Leipold became KU’s head coach at KU in 2021, Kotelnicki joined the Jayhawks’ staff as offensive coordinator. He was promoted to associate head coach last December.
In 2022, Kotelnicki led the KU offense to new heights. Kansas went from ranking 104th in yards per play to fifth (7.00), and from 91st to fifth in passing efficiency.
This season, he helped guide KU’s offense to a No. 21 overall ranking in points scored despite having to juggle between three quarterbacks due to injuries.
During the 2022 season, Leipold asked Kotelnicki become more involved in decision-making.
“The thing I’ve learned from him that’s been awesome in the 10 years (is) he’s fantastic about thinking about the players first and anything decision-making with the program,” Kotelnicki said about Leipold in December.
