Andy Kotelnicki addresses expectations for Drew Allar in 2025

Andy Kotelnicki is entering his second year as Penn State‘s offensive coordinator, and is more familiar with quarterback Drew Allar‘s game than ever before. On Saturday, Kotelnicki revealed what he expects from Allar in the 2025 campaign.

“It’s kind of hard to sit there and say, ‘Well, this is what you have do [different] from last year,’ because that’s over now,” Kotelnicki said. “But, we’ve challenged, really since the moment I got here, about the ability to move, extend plays with your legs, and the mobility.

“He’s moving awesome. I was teasing the other day. He was wearing sweatpants at practice. I said, ‘Dude, you got to quit wearing shorts, man. You got great hamstrings now. You got to show those things off.’ And he laughs, of course, but I was being serious.”

Despite standing at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Drew Allar hasn’t always used his size to pick up extra yards when plays fall apart. Last season, he tallied 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 96 carries.

He absorbed 20 sacks, four more than in 2023. Penn State is hoping to see Allar avoid swarming defenses better this season, and keep plays alive with his legs by rolling out, if necessary.

After all, Allar has established he can be extremely successful when he has time in the pocket. Last season, Allar tallied 3,327 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, compared to just eight interceptions. Kotelnicki emphasized that Drew Allar is stepping into a bigger role in the team’s decision-making this year.

“He’s so comfortable with all the things that we’re doing,” Kotelnicki said. “It’s more about like, communicating with him and collaborating with him than it is necessarily just coaching him. A player like him, who’s so smart, who’s cerebral, and he’s going to work so hard and prepare so hard, like how do you collaborate with him and challenge and get him to maybe critically reflect on certain things.

“So to have those mature conversations about what we do, why we do it, what you saw, why he made the decision he did, is really what’s going to help elevate him. He’s at the point now in his career here with Coach Franklin and being at Penn State, he has some autonomy, meaning like he doesn’t need to be told what to do and to think. He needs to be involved in the thinking process. And it has very, very much been that.”