Tyler Warren on Andy Kotelnicki's addition at Penn State: 'We're motivated to play for him'

Penn State will have a new look on offense in 2024, with James Franklin hiring Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas to serve as the new offensive coordinator in Happy Valley. And it’s an addition one of the Nittany Lions stars, tight end Tyler Warren, is excited about.

Though the extent of work with Kotelnicki has really only come during spring practice and whatever work in the playbook players have managed during the offseason, Warren is bullish on what the offense will look like. If nothing else, he feels this group is excited to get on the field and try to prove the decision right.

“I think Coach K came in, did a great job,” Warren said at Big Ten Media Days. “I think he gelled with us really well. We look forward to playing for him and we’re motivated to play for him and he’s brought us close as an offense. I think it’s gone really well and I’m excited to get that going during camp.”

Warren himself will likely stand to benefit from whatever changes come to the Penn State offense as a featured pass catcher from the tight end position.

He’s played in 40 career games, catching 49 passes for 606 yards and 11 touchdowns as a No. 2 or 3 tight end in many of those games. Now, Warren is set to be one of the top threats for the Nittany Lions.

And from the sound of it, Warren is already plenty excited to let things rip with Kotelnicki’s offense.

Warren hinted at the possibility of Penn State using two quarterbacks again

Penn State is set at starting quarterback going into the 2024 season with Drew Allar returning to start. Behind him, the Nittany Lions feel confident in backup quarterback Beau Pribula.

Being the backup quarterback doesn’t mean that Pribula isn’t going to see the field, though. And at Big Ten Media Days, Warren hinted at how he could be used in Penn State’s offense.

“Coach K is gonna use his best players and Beau is a great player,” Warren said. “You saw him play last year. He’s very capable of playing at this level. So, I think it’s fair to say he’s not just gonna have them in the closet the whole time and never bring him out.”

Pribula played in 11 games for the Nittany Lions in 2023 without being the team’s starting quarterback. Those appearances came in a mix of garbage time once Allar was pulled from a game and in specific packages designed to use his athleticism.