When James Franklin was let go from Penn State after a 1-3 start to the season, the collegiate football world knew dominoes were going to fall. However, from afar, Kansas fans were wishing for one in particular, the re-hiring of Andy Kotelnicki.
Minutes ago, Ross Dellenger shook up Lawrence, Kan., as he announced that Kansas was set to rehire Kotelnicki, who had spent the last two seasons in Happy Valley.
Former Penn State OC Andy Kotelnicki is returning to Kansas as associate head coach, sources tell @YahooSports.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 2, 2026
During his first stop at KU, Kotelnicki transformed the offense into one of the nation’s best. Big hire for Lance Leipold to reunite with his longtime OC.
To say Kotelnicki reshaped the Kansas offense would almost be an understatement.
Kotelnicki first started coaching under Leipold ahead of the 2013-14 season at Wisconsin-Whitewater, and quickly moved with Leipold to Buffalo, where the pair saw great success, including a 37-33 record and a spot in the AP-Top 25 during their last season together, which then led to the pair taking their talents to the Jayhawks.
In Kotelnicki’s first season at KU in 2021, the Jayhawks averaged 324.2 yards per game, compared to 259.2 yards in 2020.
During the 2022 season, Kotelnicki guided one of the best offenses fans would have ever seen as the Jayhawks averaged 438.6 yards per game, the program’s second-best mark since 1950.
The 2023 247Sports Offensive Coordinator of the Year, Kotelnicki led a KU offense ranking seventh in the nation in yards per completion (14.8), eighth in yards per play (7.0), rushing (211.3), yards per rush (5.51) and explosive play percentage (17.2), and ninth in first down efficiency percentage (56.4) and rushing touchdowns per game (2.5).
With Kotelnicki on staff, Kansas managed a 17-21 record; if you scratch the first rebuilding season, those numbers jump to a much improved 15-11, which flexed just how quickly Leipold and Kotelnicki improved the staff.
Kansas’ offense was by no means terrible this season, yet its total yards per game ranked 77th in the nation with 368.8, which included the 88th-ranked passing attack, which saw just 211 yards per game.
Probably the most damning stat of all was Kansas’ redzone percentage, which finished its season ranked 124th in the nation with just a 71.79% conversion rate, as it was a staple for Kansas’ gameplan to shrink when they entered the final few yards.
"We are excited to welcome Andy and his family back to Lawrence," head coach Lance Leipold said in a press release. "Andy is familiar with our staff and culture, has run successful offenses for nearly two decades, and his experience over the past two seasons at Penn State will add to our program in a variety of ways. Having worked with Andy for 11 years, I'm looking forward to him rejoining this current staff as associate head coach."
"I care deeply about the University of Kansas, and my family and I are thrilled to be back at a university that has been so good to us" Kotelnicki said. "Working alongside Coach Leipold has been one of the highlights of my career, and I'm excited to rejoin him and the entire staff at KU. I'm very grateful to Coach, Athletic Director Travis Goff and Chancellor Doug Girod for welcoming us back. I can't wait to get to work."