photo by: AP Photo/Barry Reeger

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki watches warmup before an NCAA college football game between Penn State and Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in State College, Pa.

Andy Kotelnicki is headed back to Kansas after two years at Penn State, KU announced on Friday morning.

His title will be associate head coach. He previously served as KU’s offensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023, overseeing dynamic, motion-heavy and extremely productive offenses during the 2022 and 2023 bowl seasons, and held the title of associate head coach beginning in December 2022.

“We are excited to welcome Andy and his family back to Lawrence,” head coach Lance Leipold said in a press release. “Andy is familiar with our staff and culture, has run successful offenses for nearly two decades, and his experience over the past two seasons at Penn State will add to our program in a variety of ways. Having worked with Andy for 11 years, I’m looking forward to him rejoining this current staff as associate head coach.”

Kotelnicki left for the Nittany Lions after the conclusion of the 2023 regular season and guided an offense to the College Football Playoff in 2024, but his time with Penn State went south this past season. Head coach James Franklin was fired after a 3-3 start. Kotelnicki remained through the season with the lame-duck staff and officially concluded his PSU tenure with the Pinstripe Bowl last Saturday.

Meanwhile, Leipold had then-quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski call plays in KU’s 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory, but ended up hiring Jeff Grimes as the offensive coordinator for 2024. Grimes left for Wisconsin after one disappointing season, and Leipold promoted Zebrowski as his replacement for 2025, a year in which the KU offense and quarterback Jalon Daniels displayed moments of brilliance but struggled towards the end of the season. Leipold also brought back Matt Lubick, who had played a key role in Kotelnicki’s offense as an analyst, for 2025 as the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.

Now Kotelnicki himself is set to return to KU. He has coached with Leipold at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Buffalo at KU and will now embark on his second stint in Lawrence.

“I care deeply about the University of Kansas, and my family and I are thrilled to be back at a university that has been so good to us,” Kotelnicki said in the release. “Working alongside Coach Leipold has been one of the highlights of my career, and I’m excited to rejoin him and the entire staff at KU. I’m very grateful to Coach, Athletic Director Travis Goff and Chancellor Doug Girod for welcoming us back. I can’t wait to get to work.”

What is not yet clear is what Kotelnicki’s responsibilities as associate head coach will entail and how his return will affect the rest of the coaching staff — and specifically Zebrowski and Lubick.

This story will be updated.