It’s often said you can’t go home again, but don’t tell that to Andy Kotelnicki. After a two-year stint calling plays in Happy Valley, the architect of one of the most explosive eras in Kansas football history is heading back to Lawrence.
Andy Kotelnicki’s History
The university announced Friday that he is rejoining Lance Leipold’s staff as the associate head coach. If you’re a Jayhawk fan, you can go ahead and exhale now. The band is getting back together.
For two years, Kansas fans watched from afar as Kotelnicki took his talents to Penn State. He helped guide the Nittany Lions to a 20-9 record, a Fiesta Bowl win, and a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. His offenses were efficient, they were balanced, and they moved the chains.
Kotelnicki Is Coming Home
During his previous three-year run at KU (2021-23), Kotelnicki didn’t just call plays; he orchestrated chaos in the best way possible. Under his watch, Kansas cracked the code on offensive efficiency, setting school records for yards per play and turning Saturdays at Memorial Stadium into must-watch television. The Jayhawks went bowling in back-to-back seasons for just the second time ever. He took an offense that had been dormant for a decade and turned it into a high-octane machine.
“I care deeply about the University of Kansas,” Kotelnicki said in a statement. “My family and I are thrilled to be back at a university that has been so good to us.”
This isn’t just a hire; it’s a reunion of gridiron soulmates. Kotelnicki and Leipold go way back. We are talking 11 seasons across three different stops: Wisconsin-Whitewater, Buffalo, and Kansas. “Working alongside Coach Leipold has been one of the highlights of my career,” Kotelnicki added.
For Leipold, bringing his old right-hand man back into the fold is a massive win. While the Jayhawks haven’t exactly fallen off a cliff without him, there’s a certain swagger that comes with a Kotelnicki offense. It’s creative. It’s weird. It uses motions and shifts that make defensive coordinators lose sleep and pull their hair out.
With the transfer portal heating up and the 2026 season on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be better. The Jayhawks are looking to recapture that lightning in a bottle, and they just brought back the guy who knows exactly how to uncork it.
