Posted April 11, 2024 | Article by Amanda Vogt | Photo by Emmy Vitali
Penn State’s new offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, has always been in the quarterback room.
Working with Drew Allar and Beau Pribula as they enter their third year in the program has been a key point in the installation process of a new offensive scheme.
On Tuesday, James Franklin confirmed that Jaxson Smolik will miss an undetermined amount of time due to injury which opens the door for early-enrollee Ethan Grunkemeyer to start taking reps with the threes.
“He kind of bumps up and he gets forced into a position where he might not have been, you know, from a planning standpoint before spring ball took place,” Pribula said during his Zoom availability this week. “But I think it gives him an opportunity to kind of grow up a little faster than he probably would’ve.”
Pribula was also an early enrollee and has been impressed with how Grenkemeyer is acclimating to Penn State off the field.
Throughout spring practice leading up to this weekend’s Blue-White game, the consensus from the quarterbacks is a high comfort level with Kotelnicki’s approach.
“I think the biggest thing has been like we’re getting to the same place that we’ve been doing all spring but through different formations, shifts and motions, things of that nature,” Allar said last Wednesday.
There’s excitement about how different Kotelnicki interprets the offense. Pribula describes it as “proactive” since the goal is to make defenses react to them and not the other way around.
“You guys will understand once you kind of see us play and everything about how many different things that we can do and how many different looks we can give a defense.”
The Nittany Lions have worked on implementing more shifts and pre-snap motions to force opponents to make quick decisions on the spot.
“Coach K is always big with distortion and creating a lot of space for us on the offensive end,” Allar said. “I think he does a great job of presenting us opportunities of making plays.”
Simplicity is the objective and players have had fun throughout the entire process in developing new ways of attack. The confidence of Allar and Pribula has also increased.
Allar’s gotten leaner, currently weighing around 240 points which has correlated to improving his footwork — an area of his game that he felt like he struggled with last season.
Between Kotelnicki and quarterback’s coach Danny O’Brien, the quarterbacks have gained a better understanding of how to trust their feet when working through progressions.
Allar says when he’s “loose, free and confident,” his quality of play increases.
“I’ve kinda let the more competitive side of me come out this spring…being a more vocal leader,” Allar said.
Beaver Stadium will get their first taste of a Kotelnicki offense on Saturday in what Franklin expects to be a “traditional” spring game.
“I’m just really excited with the future that we have with Coach K,” Pribula said.
Amanda Vogt is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com
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