Lance Leipold has led the Kansas football program back to relevance, but an underrated hire has been that of former Buffalo offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
The Kansas Jayhawks had an elite offense last season. It was so successful that despite finishing last in nearly every statistical defensive category in the Big 12, the team still won six games and had its most successful season in 15 years.
While Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal are the primary stars on the field, one person who has been a star off the field has been associate head coach and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Kotelnicki’s offense made history last season, scoring 35.6 points per game and averaging 7.0 yards per play. That number ranked second in the nation, trailing only Ohio State, and broke the program record set nearly 70 years ago.
He followed Coach Leipold to Lawrence and has never looked back. Kotelnicki was also responsible for conducting one of the most prolific Group of 5 offenses at Buffalo, and his unit ran for 3,256 yards in 2019. The man who originally grew up in Minnesota has made a living with his creative playcalling dynamics, drawing comparisons to the run-and-gun Kansas City Chiefs offense.
He kept the offense going despite injuries to Daniels and running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., utilizing his weapons flawlessly. As long as the program continues to win on the recruiting trail, Kotelnicki will have even more talent to work with in the coming years.
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The job that Kotelnicki has done with the Jayhawks is practically unfathomable when you look at where Kansas football was a few years prior. Les Miles had all the offensive talent in the world when he was head coach, yet the team just could not put it together.
After just two years in the system, Kotelnicki’s offense could lead Kansas to the top half of the Big 12. With the team’s defensive struggles, it is vital that the offense maintains its success.
10 more days until Kansas football and Andy Kotelnicki’s offense returns 😮💨pic.twitter.com/QXUsaI9XoC
— Rock Chalk (@gorockchalk) August 22, 2023
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