4 things to watch for at Penn State local bowl media day: Andy Kotelnicki's intro and more
Penn State football will take another step down the path toward the Peach Bowl and a matchup with No. 10 Ole Miss on Friday in State College. The No. 10 Nittany Lions will hold their local media day at Beaver Stadium throughout the day. It starts early with players. Then, head coach James Franklin will speak. A chat with the bowl game coordinators will follow. Then, new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will be introduced for the first time since taking the job earlier this month. Things wrap up with practice later in the day.
Blue-White Illustrated will have complete coverage throughout the day. You can watch the coaches speak starting at 11:25 am HERE. Read on to learn what we’ll be watching for throughout Friday.
Which coordinator(s) will speak for the defense?
Let’s start here. We know that Stacy Collins will take the podium when it’s time to talk special teams. Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle, as the co-offensive coordinators, will take care of that side of the ball. We will be curious to see if they speak at the same time or go one after the other. But that’s immaterial in the grand scheme of things.
Obviously, the most interesting part of the equation is figuring out who will sit behind the microphone when it’s time to talk defense. Speaking on Monday at a news conference, Franklin said he’d have more information about the Penn State plan for its open coordinator position later in the week. Beyond that, someone has to call plays in the bowl game and be in charge of that side of the ball, regardless. We’ll find out later today who the pick is. In the 2021 Outback Bowl, Anthony Poindexter filled in for Brent Pry. He could again, this time for Manny Diaz. Time will tell. We won’t be surprised, either, if both Poindexter and Terry Smith speak on Friday. We’ll see closer to lunchtime.
What will Olu Fashanu and others say about the Peach Bowl?
Penn State, unlike some programs, has yet to have its bowl game roster depleted by opt-outs. Could more beyond Chop Robinson pop up? Of course. But, at this stage of the game, we’d expect not to learn of any new ones on Friday and instead hear players like Olu Fashanu, Adisa Isaac, and Curtis Jacobs, for example, say they plan to be at the Peach Bowl with the team despite having an NFL decision to make. Tight end Theo Johnson has declared for the NFL Draft but will be in the game. Will others join him in doing so? Again, at this point, we’d expect anyone who hasn’t declared yet to not do so on Friday. That’s just not how these things typically work.
What does Andy Kotelnicki think of Penn State, Drew Allar?
Kotelnicki has been in State College for a short while now. But, he has yet to make any public statements about why he left Kansas, and longtime boss Lance Leipold, to come to Penn State and be its new offensive coordinator. So, that will be interesting. Beyond that, we’ll want to hear about how he plans to blend his attack with the current team personnel, his thoughts on quarterback Drew Allar, the program’s situation at receiver, and much more. This will likely be the most-written about part of the day, for obvious reasons.
Penn State possibilities
We wrap up here. James Franklin will undoubtedly be asked about two things: His team’s empty defensive coordinator position and also its transfer portal pursuits. What he says on both fronts will be of high interest to many and thus each will be among the top topics of the day.
