Andy Kotelnicki Explains Decision to Stay at Penn State Over WVU Job

Before WVU welcomed back Rich Rodriguez for a second tenure, it appeared as if Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was going to take over the Mountaineers. And on Monday, Kotelnicki opened up about his decision ahead of Penn State’s first round game against SMU.

Instead, he decided to stay in his current role at Penn State and West Virginia turned to Rodriguez for a homecoming.

Kotelnicki, 42, was one of the top candidates for the West Virginia head coaching job, and, for a hot minute, it looked like he’d be taking it.

But he announced via social media that he was staying at State, and told reporters a week later that it wasn’t a difficult call.

“Just what’s going on here, right?” he said. “I enjoy, first and foremost, the players that I get to coach on a daily basis. Working with Coach Franklin has been awesome, and the offensive staff that I work with is elite. So just a really easy decision, quite candidly.”

West Virginia fired head coach Neal Brown on the first day of December, and not long after that, Kotelnicki emerged as a leading candidate.

I absolutely believe Andy Kotelnicki was the top choice. But yes, once he was out, it was full steam ahead to Rich Rod. https://t.co/6CYSsf45ur

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) December 12, 2024

In addition to that, sources told both West Virginia Sports Now and partner site Nittany Sports Now earlier in the day that “a major sticking point” for Kotelnicki was not wanting to leave Penn State before the true end of their season, so not until they were eliminated in the College Football Playoff or crowned national champions.

A national title game appearance would’ve pushed things all the way to end of January and created a significant disadvantage for West Virginia in trying to retool its roster, most notably through the transfer portal.

Even a first round exit would’ve still delayed West Virginia’s search another week. WVSN, heard from a separate source that they believed Kotelnicki was simply using the CFP as a way to play hardball.

Penn State is 11-2, and the offense, for the most part, has performed well, averaging 33.6 points per game. Under Kotelnicki’s watch, Penn State’s offense has become known for its excitement, something most feel the unit lacked from 2021-23 under Mike Yurcich.

WV Sports Now’s partner site Nittany Sports Now helped with this story.

For a related story, WVU fans are asked how they feel about West Virginia bringing back Rich Rodriguez.