STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — One day this spring, when Penn State changed practice, Andy Kotelnicki walked from one end of the practice field to the other. James Franklin followed, smiling and shouting at his new offensive coordinator as he talked with wide receiver Malik Mayga.
“Hey, Kotelnicki, hug him!” Franklin yelled.
“Which one? Ke'Andre?” Kotelnicki joked, staring at senior wide receiver Ke'Andre Lambert-Smith. “I'm not hugging him!”
Lambert Smith, who had just been praised for running a great route, smiled. Kotelnicki and the rest of the receivers also laughed before jumping into the next drill. Such light-hearted moments were evident during Penn State practices this spring.
“It's been a tough spring, but in a good way,” senior tight end Tyler Warren said. “We've been working hard and are doing well. We're having fun.”
Kotelnicki, an extension of Lance Leipold's coaching tree, was hired by Kansas State after the 2023 season. Kotelnicki is known for his creativity as a play-caller, but his personality has been a big part of what has helped players buy into his offense in games thus far. He is energetic, funny and quirky.
“This is a really different offense,” Nicholas Singleton said. “I'm not trying to compare, but I'm so excited. I can see everyone's excited. That excites me. Coach Andy is a really great coach. I'm really excited about what he has in store for us. The play they gave me was really good and it worked well too. I'm excited.”
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That's a trio of excitement from the normally quiet and even-keeled running back.
Here's what I learned and observed as Penn State begins its final week of spring baseball. It culminates in a Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m.
1. Lambert Smith turned the corner.
I'm prone to Julian Fleming mania this spring. The Ohio State graduate transfer has made a good impression and his role on the team will be important. But lost in the shuffle was Lambert Smith, last year's No. 1 receiver, who faded in the middle. Penn State needs him to emerge as a consistent big-play threat, and Lambert Smith appears to be doing just that in the spring.
He might get that hug from the OC after all.
“He showed some real flashes this spring, and I’m seeing them more consistently,” Franklin said. “I think Coach K has done a really good job with him as well. They seem to have a really good relationship. (Wide receivers coach) Marquez (Hagans) says he builds a relationship with the whole room. I think he's done a really good job in that regard.Obviously we need him to have a great year and we expect him to have a great year.”
Fleming, Lambert-Smith and Harrison Wallace III form an interesting trio. Now, keeping that group healthy was a challenge for Wallace last season and a challenge for Fleming throughout his college career, but that's another story.
🎙️ Mic Up: Coach Kotelnicki – Offensive Coordinator#we | @Kotelnicki pic.twitter.com/eYPby3xh0G
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) March 21, 2024
2. The goal is to develop wide receivers who can play anywhere.
Quarterback Drew Allard said he's been “really happy” with the offense so far.
“We're arriving at the same plays that we've been doing all spring, but through different formations, shifts, motion, things of that nature,” Aller said. “Everyone is learning a concept instead of just learning a part of it. They're learning a complete concept. Hopefully by the end of the spring cycle, every receiver is plug-and-play at every position. By the time we move into fall camp where we can, we want to get to the point: “They're not just H, they're not just X. They can play H, X, Z, and even Y if they want.” .”
I know there will be a lot of attention on this receiving corps, especially after last season's struggles. Having a group of players that can move around and an offense that can attack them could be the perfect solution to this group's problems.
3. Aller's body composition is his top priority off the field.
The 6-foot-5 Aller said he weighs between 240 and 243 pounds, about the same as his published weight last season. However, Aller seemed to be playing a little above his weight last season. Being slim has become an important point. Aller said she hopes to lose “a little bit more” of his weight this spring and summer and is working to change his eating habits.
He said he feels “really good” about the changes made to his physique.
“It really helped me with movement,” Aller said. “I've been doing a lot of additional mobility training with the athletic trainer on staff. I've been working more in the weight room and I think my movements are smoother because of that.”
4. Nolan Lucci's work is primarily at right tackle.
Drew Shelton, who was expected to be the starting left tackle, was sidelined this spring while recovering from surgery. Most of Rucci's reps at Wisconsin came as a backup left tackle, but he worked primarily at right tackle with the Nittany Lions. In particular, the right tackle competition between Lucci and redshirt freshman Anthony Donko is shaping up to be one of the most interesting of the offseason.
“I'm really grateful for this contest,” Lucci said. “I think Anthony Donko and the other guys have really stepped up my game and made sure I’m as prepared as I can be.”
even deeper
The headliners of Penn State's transfer class know they have a lot to prove.
5. “He's just a guy who wants to get better.”
Jeven Williams is one of the most intriguing young prospects on the roster. The highly-touted left tackle, expected to be a top-50 prospect in the 2023 class, will need to add weight to about 310, but Williams will be a big turnaround, according to strength coach Chuck Losey. . The redshirt freshman was roommates with Olu Fashanu on the road last season. Surely that was by design.
“I don't want to sound bad, but it was basically like a question-and-answer session every road game,” Fashanu said with a laugh. “He was just asking me questions about my process and what I had done to get to where I am. He's the type to retain that information and use it to his advantage. This is the man.”
Williams is currently wearing Fashanu's old number 74.
6. Tom Allen is still adjusting to his new role.
Franklin laughs it off, but he said he heard the whistle several times on the practice field this spring. Allen, the former Indiana head coach, sometimes forgets that it's no longer his responsibility.
“Now he comes in and makes me take it off and put it in my pocket,” Allen, Penn State's new defensive coordinator, said with a laugh. “I've been trained to blow the whistle as a head coach. I've been doing it for the past seven years. I remember one time he said, 'Who blew the whistle?' To be honest, I didn't even realize I had played the whistle because I was so used to it. …I think I kind of annoyed him the first time something like that happened, but that's okay. ”
Regardless of the whistle, Allen's voice can be heard on the practice field. After he practiced once, his voice was almost gone. Safety Jalen Reid, who was scouted by Allen at Indiana University, said the Lions' new coordinator is very focused on getting to know the new players.
“Every time you see him, just walking in and out of the building, he hugs you,” Reed said. “He always has a smile on his face. I've yet to see him really angry. During practice, he'll pull you to the side and have small conversations that we're not really used to.” I will.”
7. The trickle-down effect of Abdul Carter's position change continues.
Penn State helped fill a need at defensive end when Carter transferred from linebacker, creating some need for depth at his old position. It becomes a process.
“We've got a group of guys that have played a lot of football for us, and we've got a group of guys that need to take the next step. We're excited about that,” Franklin said. “When you think about guys like Tamia (Robinson) and (Kaveion) Keys, they're like the next crop of young players that need to continue to grow and evolve, and we're seeing the signs of that. ”
Penn State knows they have Kobe King under center and Tony Rojas on the outside. Rojas, a top 100 player in the Class of 2023, will be a popular breakout player in 2024.
8. Reloading the secondary will make for an interesting preseason.
Cornerbacks Jalen Kimber and AJ Harris did not leave Florida and Georgia to stay at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are active in the transfer portal with these additions, regardless of how the starting spot is split between Kimber, Harris, Cam Miller, Zion Tracy, and Elliott Washington II. Position coach Terry Smith will likely play cornerback a lot.
Redshirt sophomore Audavion Collins, who started his career at Mississippi State and played in six games last season, primarily on special teams, will be a player to keep an eye on in the offseason.
“AC is very intentional in his actions,” Kimber said. “He's aggressive. Honestly, he's a dog. He's going to fight to the end. Honestly, don't think we're just going to let the air conditioner go because that's not happening. AC plays with passion and I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does.”
I'm not sure how Penn State will be able to satisfy all these players in the portal era, keeping in mind that the next transfer window opens on April 16th — but the staff is He seems to have recharged his batteries after leaving the NFL multiple times.
9. What has changed in Allen's defense?
Franklin didn't want to hire a coordinator who would overhaul the defense. They don't have to, especially considering how successful that side of the ball was last season.
“I don’t think the plan will change much,” Reed said. “His and coach Manny Diaz's schemes are pretty similar and they run a lot of the same types of things. One of the things Coach Allen is doing more of is putting more nickel personnel in there. I think that's the thing. He brings more DBs on the field than Coach Manny.”
10. The frontrunner to replace Dequan Hardy as punter returner is…Kayden Sanders.
New special teams coordinator Justin Lustig noted Sanders' composure with the ball and believes he has the potential to make big plays. That's not too surprising considering the wide receiver was the primary punt returner at the beginning of last season and held that role through five games.
Lustig will oversee the kicking competition of Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer, scholarship kicker Sandor Sahaidak and walk-on Ryan Barker. I expect Franklin to get his kickers through some stressful scenarios in front of a stadium crowd on Saturday. Franklin wanted to be in the stadium more this spring, but he was unable to because of the weather, he said.
(Top photo of KeAndre Lambert-Smith: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
