Coach James Franklin went out after the season and got his guy.
Less than a week after their final regular season game, the Nittany Lions went out and hired a top offensive mind in the college game to be their new offensive coordinator.
It’s all about the money, particularly with coaches who get to the coordinator level.
As of last March, Football Scoop reported just one offensive coordinator making $2 million per season and the average defensive coordinator making $1.1 million.
With that in mind, it’s fair to say that CJF and athletic director Patrick Kraft threw the bag at Kotelnicki.
Aubrey Snyder of The Athletic reports that Kotelnicki’s deal is for four years and starts out at a whopping $1.6 million in 2024.
Andy Kotelnicki agreed to a four-year contract. His total compensation will start at $1.6 million for next season. Those figures increase to $1.7 million, $1.8 million and then $2 million in the fourth season.
More details/thoughts on the OC in here⬇️https://t.co/XD5ZRBHn3m
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) December 1, 2023
Based on those numbers from March, that’d place Kotelnicki in the top-five paid offensive coordinators (though it’s possible that some more have or will get deals that raise the bar a bit more before next season).
While the same disclaimers apply, by year four this deal would have Kotelnicki making $2 million, tied for the highest public salary of any coordinator as of March 2023.
Now the Nittany Lions may need to turn their attention to DC Manny Diaz. While his current salary isn’t public, he may be in line for a raise as a reported finalist for the Duke head coaching vacancy.
