Pete Thamel: Drew Allar doesn’t fit Penn State scheme under Andy Kotelnicki

Penn State’s latest loss to UCLA may have exposed a deeper issue within the Nittany Lions’ offense. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the team’s struggles stem from a misalignment between quarterback Drew Allar’s skill set and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s system.

On the latest episode of the College GameDay Podcast, Thamel broke down why the pairing hasn’t clicked, despite the hype surrounding Kotelnicki’s ability to scheme and offense and the experience returning on Penn State’s offense. While the team entered 2025 with lofty expectations, the unit has yet to find rhythm or consistency.

“The sunshine that this game offered was that Penn State hasn’t been — other than the fourth quarter against Oregon — very good all year. They muddled through those early games,” Thamel began. “The talk was, ‘Oh, they’re going to be vanilla on offense.’ But for bringing in Andy Kotelnicki last year, it just doesn’t seem to be a good marriage of system and skill set with Drew Allar. It looked funky.

“I think, Rece, about that fourth-and-one where he got gobbled up by the defensive end. Penn State — Andy Kotelnicki told me in the offseason, ‘We should have the best offensive line in the country.’ He said, ‘We have a chance to be the best offensive line in the country.’ Well, why are you running a motion smoke, quarterback keeper with an unathletic quarterback? Like, go straight ahead.

“And Andy Kotelnicki is a brilliant offensive mind. We saw what he did with Jalon Daniels at Kansas. But a lot of his stuff goes this way — horizontally. And if you’re at Penn State, with better talent, you need to go this way — vertically. So it just seems to have been a bit of an odd fit between Andy and Allar. That doesn’t mean it’s either of their faults — it’s just that they haven’t married it up right.”

Thamel’s assessment reflects a growing frustration among fans and analysts who expected Penn State’s offense to evolve this season. Instead, the Nittany Lions have looked hesitant and disjointed. Short-yardage and red-zone situations in particular have been rough.

As the season progresses, all eyes will be on whether Kotelnicki can tailor his system to better fit Allar’s strengths — or if Penn State continues to struggle with an offense that looks mismatched. They’ll have a chance at a get-right game this weekend against Northwestern back in Happy Valley.