Andy Kotelnicki addresses his future at Penn State after James Franklin firing

Andy Kotelnicki isn’t sure what the future holds for him at Penn State. The Nittany Lions made the decision to fire James Franklin midway through this season, creating uncertainty for the staff members left behind.

That includes Kotelnicki, who is in his second season as the Nittany Lions offensive coordinator. The coach addressed where his head is at in a recent press conference, assuring fans that his focus remains on improving the product on the field so long as he is on the staff.

“The future is always uncertain and we all know that,” Kotelnicki said. “But when something like this happens, the uncertainty is magnified. We’re all in this. The message is, and I think our players have done a great job of that, whatever you want for your future as a player or a coach, the best thing you can do is be very present and do a hell of a job with what you’re doing today. With what we’re doing in today’s practice, with what we’re doing in tomorrow’s practice and then the next game.”

Penn State has lost four straight games, including 25-24 this past week against Iowa. The offense has taken a lot of the blame for that, ranking 13th in the Big Ten in yards per game and eighth in points per game.

The Nittany Lions have a bye coming up this week to address some of those issues and put a better product on the field. Kotelnicki would be lying if he wasn’t a little worried about what is to come, but for now he is trying to take care of what he can control.

“It’s hard not to think about those kind of things, the future and what it holds, but I love our guys,” he said. “I have an obligation to do the best job I possibly can to help them achieve all their goals individually and then as a football team. So I am not distracted by it, but I have just freaking got my head down working, you know what I mean? Trying to put our guys in the best position possible.”

It’s a big game coming up for Penn State coming out of the bye, as it will take on No. 1 Ohio State. That was a game that in the preseason was thought to be a potential Big Ten Championship preview, but now it’s just an opportinity for Kotelnicki and the offense to prove themselves. Kickoff for that game is 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.