Lessons from Oregon, Kotelnicki’s return and more: Penn State coordinators talk ahead of CFP

Penn State narrowly fell to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, but did it in a way that may have been unexpected. All season the Nittany Lions leaned on their defense to lead the way — whether it was against struggling teams like Purdue and UCLA, or ranked opponents like Ohio State and Illinois.

No matter the matchup, defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s unit was up to the task. But that changed against the Ducks, with the defense getting lit up the entire game. With the benefit of that film, Allen’s unit is ready to turn the page and learn from the 37 points Penn State gave up to Oregon.

“There’s no question, (there’s) many valuable lessons to be learned,” Allen said. “I think you’re always looking to adapt and learn and grow from things that another team does to you and puts you in a tougher spot. And obviously, we didn’t play to our standard, and they did a tremendous job in certain areas that really made that hard. ... The bottom line is our guys, and we collectively, have learned some valuable things from that and we’re gonna utilize those things going into this week for sure.”

Those games against high-caliber opponents like Oregon — and like Ohio State — can prove to be valuable tools for the team moving forward. The Nittany Lions are taking on a very talented SMU offense on Saturday and will have to be better than they were defensively against the Ducks.

But competing with that level of team can be enough to give Penn State the confidence it needs moving forward as it tries to make a run in the College Football Playoff.

“There’s definitely confidence in that,” linebacker Kobe King said. “Just from learning the things that we’ve corrected and continuing to build on the things we’re trying to do for the rest of the season. I think we took lessons from (the Oregon and Ohio State) games, with both of those games being close games. Just us altering certain things and them helping us figure out things that we need to work on and change different looks and change some things around. We definitely learned from those two games and those two teams, and hopefully it’s gonna make us better.”

Kotelnicki decides to return and what comes next

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s name was being floated in the coaching carousel as a potential candidate at several schools, including at West Virginia. When that noise reached a fever pitch on Dec. 9, it was quickly followed by a social media post from Kotelnicki saying he intended to return to Penn State for 2025.

And for Kotelnicki, the decision wasn’t overly difficult.

“I enjoy, first and foremost, the players that I get to coach on a daily basis,” Kotelnicki said. “Working with Coach Franklin has been awesome, and the offensive staff that I work with is elite. So just really easy decision, quite candidly.”

Kotelnicki’s commitment to return to Penn State means it will now have its offensive coordinator and starting quarterback back for next season with he and Allar — who announced his return Monday.

Those two coming back can provide stability to an offense that will lose its top weapon in tight end Tyler Warren and is in need of some help from the transfer portal at wide receiver. That started Monday night when former USC wide receiver Kyron Hudson committed to Penn State, and could continue as the Nittany Lions continue pursuing outside targets.

But for now, having two of the most important people on the team back for 2025 could do wonders for the offense.

“I think it’s amazing,” center Nick Dawkins said about Kotelnicki returning. “He’s a great teacher — obviously a great offensive coordinator, play-caller and everything — but he’s a great teacher. And I think it’s awesome for the guys that are, returning and coming back, and the new guys coming in, because they get to experience his offense, his philosophy of teaching. And his offense is really engaging. ... I’ve just been so fortunate to be around him and learn new nuances to offense and learn new philosophies. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, so I’m excited for everybody who gets to get coached by him.”

“Drew has been phenomenal,” head coach James Franklin said about Allar. “Mom and dad have been phenomenal. I’ve had a ton of conversations. And he’s doing a ton of really good things and he’s developing, and he’s getting better and he’s playing great, and he’s leading. And I think there’s a lot of excitement because I think they believe, and we believe, there’s still a lot of room for growth and development. We want to be a part of that. And I think they trust us in that.”

Abdul Carter’s evolution

Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter didn’t win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the country each season, so he tried to channel that energy into something positive.

“The night I got snubbed for the Nagurski award, I did some push-ups that night,” Carter said.

How many?

“I didn’t count them,” Carter said. “Until failure. Until my arms gave out.”

Carter was up for that award and many others — he’s made four All-American teams as a first teamer, with one yet to be announced — and has taken his game to a different level this season. He moved from linebacker to defensive end and has excelled in the process, producing 10 sacks for the Nittany Lions along with 19.5 tackles for loss.

His move to the edge has made him a likely top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and until then has made him a problem for opposing defenses — like the one his team will face this weekend.

“Abdul Carter is the best defensive player we played in my time at SMU, based on the film I’ve seen,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “He’s a problem. And the thing is, he’s not the only problem on their defense. They’re really good on defense. The other couple of ends are really special. If they didn’t have Abdul, we’d be worried about them. We are worried about them. But Abdul is so dominant.”

Quick hitters

• No other Penn State player announced their decisions with regard to the NFL Draft or their future this week. Safety K.J. Winston previously declared for the draft, while Allar announced he would return.
• Running back Nick Singleton said he’s focused on SMU and what’s ahead and would make his own decision about his future after the season.
• With backup quarterback Beau Pribula’s departure, freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer is in line to get the second team reps at QB.

This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 5:38 PM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.