Kansas football is bringing back a familiar and proven offensive mind. Head coach Lance Leipold announced Friday that Andy Kotelnicki will return to Lawrence as the Jayhawks’ associate head coach for the 2026 season.
Kotelnicki, who previously served as Kansas’ offensive coordinator from 2021–22 and associate head coach/offensive coordinator in 2023, reunites with Leipold after two seasons at Penn State Nittany Lions. The move brings back the architect of some of the most productive offenses in program history.
“We are excited to welcome Andy and his family back to Lawrence,” Leipold said in a press release today. “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.”
During his three seasons at Kansas, Kotelnicki helped guide the Jayhawks to back-to-back bowl appearances and oversaw two of the three highest-scoring offenses in school history, while Kansas averaged more than 34 points per game in both 2022 and 2023.
“I care deeply about the University of Kansas, and my family and I are thrilled to be back,” Kotelnicki said. “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.”
Kotelnicki spent the past two seasons at Penn State, where his offenses ranked among the nation’s best and helped the Nittany Lions reach a College Football Playoff semifinal in 2024. He now returns to Lawrence with 21 years of coaching experience and a long track record of offensive success alongside Leipold.