Penn State held a Peach Bowl media event. The highlight? Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It didn’t take long for newly hired Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to make a notable introduction in the Beaver Stadium media room on Friday. Kotelnicki showcased his boisterous personality in front of a room full of strangers, breaking down his famed philosophy that’s defined the former Kansas assistant as one of the nation’s top play-callers.

James Franklin could hardly let out a sigh of relief after hiring Kotelnicki, due to another personnel opening at defensive coordinator — a void left by Manny Diaz after he was hired as the head coach at Duke. Add the transfer portal and bowl game opt-outs to Franklin’s planning, and it’s made for a less-than-ideal holiday season.

» READ MORE: Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson declares for the NFL Draft

“The schedule is not good. It’s not good,” Franklin said. “It’s chaotic. You’re recruiting your own roster. There’s mixed messages everywhere. There are agendas in every direction.”

Here are some notable talking points from Friday’s Peach Bowl media day. The Nittany Lions will face Ole Miss in the Dec. 30 game in Atlanta.

When Kotelnicki was a kid, his mom gifted him a white helmet with a blue stripe along the middle, almost identical to the one the Nittany Lions wore. He wore that helmet constantly, running headfirst into the trees that surrounded his home in Litchfield, Minn.

That helmet made Kotelnicki a Penn State fan and paved the path toward his dream job, which nearly came to fruition when he originally interviewed to become the program’s tight ends coach in 2020. Ty Howle won the role instead.

After departing Franklin’s office three years ago, Kotelnicki joined the Jayhawks, where he revolutionized a historically struggling offense and created one of the most creative systems in college football. He compared his elaborate offensive philosophy to a Dairy Queen Blizzard.

“You can equate offensive football to your favorite blizzard and understand that what it’s going to look like is going to be looking like a messy piece of deliciousness, but fundamentally is composed of really just vanilla ice cream and your favorite candies,” Kotelnicki said. “That’s when we talk about simplicity vs. complexity.”

One of the first people Kotelnicki met with after accepting the job was sophomore quarterback Drew Allar, whom the coach called a “high-capacity guy” and said had “all the things you want from a quarterback.”

Allar, who completed only four passes of more than 50 yards in 2023, could benefit greatly from Kotelnicki, who led a Kansas team that finished the regular season ranked No. 8 nationally in yards per play.

» READ MORE: Ex-Penn State lineman, and Temple assistant Elijah Robinson hired as Syracuse defensive coordinator

“I’m excited to get working with him in the future and just learn everything I can from him because he seems like a really good coach,” Allar said. “He has had a lot of success at multiple different stops ... with offenses being very explosive.”

Kotelnicki will not call plays in the bowl game, a role that will remain in the hands of Howle and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, who have served as interim co-offensive coordinators since Mike Yurcich was fired last month after Penn State’s loss to Michigan. He will, however, work with the quarterbacks, alongside Franklin and graduate assistant Danny O’Brien. It’s unclear who will serve as Penn State’s quarterbacks coach in 2024.

As one coordinator arrived, another departed and Franklin found himself back on the prowl for another high-ranking staff member. But until the Nittany Lions find a full-time replacement for Diaz, safeties coach Anthony Poindexter and analyst Robb Smith will serve as co-defensive coordinators.

Poindexter has already served as Penn State’s co-defensive coordinator since he was hired by the team in 2021, following various stops at Purdue and UConn. Smith joined the staff this past offseason after spending 2022 as Duke’s defensive coordinator, his fifth coordinating job with a team in a Power 5 conference.

“It starts with Anthony Poindexter, right?” Franklin said. “Anthony’s been phenomenal, he’s been awesome, he’s been extremely valuable. … And then Robb became available. [He’s] from Pennsylvania and we have a number of people in common that he trusts that know me, and that I trust that know him.”

Several top Penn State players have announced their intentions to play in the Peach Bowl, whether they declare for the NFL draft or not: linebacker Curtis Jacobs, defensive end Adisa Isaac, cornerback Daequan Hardy, center Hunter Nourzad, and tight ends Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson.

All-American offensive tackle Olu Fashanu said he will travel with the team to Atlanta but hasn’t decided whether he will play and/or enter the draft.