Lance Leipold just made likely the biggest staffing shift of his career by reintroducing longtime associate and former Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki as Kansas’ next associate head coach on Friday.
Kotelnicki followed Leipold to Lawrence in 2021, and together turned the Jayhawks from a laughing stock into one of the best offenses the school’s seen since the Bush administration. Kotelnicki left KU to become James Franklin‘s OC at Penn State after the 2023 season.
Upon firing Franklin midseason, Penn State turned to Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, who opted for Taylor Mouser, his OC in Ames, to fill Kotelnicki’s role upon settling in.
Andy Kotelnicki and Lance Leipold Background
It’s hardly surprising that Leipold would give Kotelnicki a ring, given their extensive relationship spanning 11 seasons between KU, Buffalo and D-III Wisconsin-Whitewater. Leipold promoted Jim Zebrowski from quarterbacks coach to full-time offensive coordinator alongside Matt Lubick for 2025.
All three – Kotelnicki, Zebrowksi and Lubick – coached together under Leipold during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which saw the Jayhawks go a combined 15-11 in consecutive bowl-eligible finishes. Zebrowski coached KU to a 49-36 win over UNLV in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl following Kotelnicki’s departure for Penn State.
The hire presumably places Kotelnicki high in the coaching order, with a clear influence over how the Jayhawk offense will operate moving forward. Kotelnicki led two of the three highest-scoring offenses in KU history (35.6 points per game in 2022; 34.8 points per game in 2023).
At Penn State, Kotelnicki helped Franklin and the Nittany Lions reach the Fiesta Bowl in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinals. Penn State closed the season with four consecutive wins over Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers and Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.
The return of Kotelnicki comes amid 22 players electing to transfer out of Lawrence, including top linebacker Trey Lathan and high-ceiling freshman quarterback David McComb.
The Jayhawks finished 5-7 for a second consecutive Kotelnicki-less season in 2025, and waved goodbye to sixth-year senior quarterback Jalon Daniels in the process. Daniels, hampered by multiple injuries throughout his career, produced his best season easily with 2,531 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
KU finished the back half of the 2025 season 1-5, including a 42-17 home loss to then 4-4 Kansas State. Finishing the season with three consecutive losses to Arizona, Iowa State and Utah, the Jayhawks reportedly opted out of an invite to play in the Birmingham Bowl amid a shortage of available teams.
