Which Penn State coaches will be on the sideline and in the booth on game days?
Penn State football has put its first set of game notes out ahead of its 2024 season opener at West Virginia. The Nittany Lions are No. 8 in The Associated Press top 25 poll and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Rankings. Head coach James Franklin will spend his 11th season on the sideline in State College. Now, we know which of his assistant coaches will join him there and which ones will be in the press box.
Two of the Nittany Lions’ three new coordinators will be on the field during game days. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen will be there along with special teams coordinator Justin Lustig. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, then, will work from the press box.
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“I have done the press box for every game [of his many tenures as an offensive coordinator] except for I think three or four games,” Kotelnicki said. “And for me, game day is about making sure that I’m calling the best play, that I have a chance to critically reflect on what we’re doing. And, the press box is the best situation To be in the press box, I think for me, has always been, I call it a sterile environment, where you can be up there and you can think and digest without any of the emotion that’s happening.”
Allen also explained the rationale behind his choice to work from the sidelines during games.
“I’ll be on the field,” Allen said. “I’ve done both, and I liked what I could see [in the press box], and I love to be able to just block out all the noise. But, I felt I always lost the emotional connection of the game. I like the flow of the game. I like to be able to get with players face-to-face and feel the emotion, good or bad. And I think that I’m a pretty high-energy guy. I think I’d be a caged tiger in the press box … as a matter of fact, I guarantee you I would be.”
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Here’s the full list of where each Penn State coach will be on game day:
Head coach – James Franklin (11th season, field)
Offensive coordinator – Andy Kotelnick (first season, coaches booth)
Defensive coordinator – Tom Allen (first season, field)
Special teams coordinator/outside linebackers and nickels coach – Justin Lustig (first season, field)
Associate head coach/defensive recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks coach – Terry Smith (11th season, field)
Assistant head coach/co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach – Ja’Juan Seider (seventh season, field)
Co-offensive coordinator/tight ends – Ty Howle (fifth season, field)
Offensive line coach – Phil Trautwein (fifth season, field)
Co-defensive coordinator/safeties – Anthony Poindexter (fourth season, booth)
Receivers coach/offensive recruiting coordinator: Marques Hagans (second season, field)
Defensive line coach: Deion Barnes (second season, field)
Poindexter has spent plenty of time in the booth since coming aboard. So, no change there is not unexpected. Howle will have a new assignment this season. He has previously been upstairs but moves down with Kotelnicki going upstairs. Last but not least, we should note that quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien will be on the field on game days.
