The thing about college football is this — no matter how stacked your roster is, or how good last season ended, you’re always one bad hire or one stale scheme away from being exposed. Just look what happened last year; Georgia didn’t even make the playoffs. And even teams with five-star talent like Texas A&M or LSU had to eat some humble pie. That’s what makes the 2025 season so juicy: every contender looks loaded on paper, but it’s the under-the-hood stuff that tells the story.

Take the coordinators, for example. We talk a lot about quarterbacks, but it’s the guys calling the plays who either unlock the stars or waste them. This fall, more than a few teams made bold moves in the coaching department, and it’s already showing in how they’re being talked about. Some programs, surprisingly, are getting real love from guys like popular ESPN analyst Greg McElroy. And it’s not because of a QB or flashy recruit, but because of the minds running the offense and defense.

McElroy didn’t hold back when he dissected why “the Penn State Nittany Lions… will be ‘very difficult to beat.’” He started by praising the coaches. “Their coordinators, both sides of the ball. We’ll start offensively. [OC] Andy Kotelnicki was brought in to do one thing, and that’s to become more explosive.” McElroy highlighted how Kotelnicki inherited a grind-it-out offense, three yards, “cloud of dust.” But at Kansas, McElroy noted, “they always seemed to be extremely creative, from [a] formation standpoint, personnel standpoint, motion, shift, creating matchups.” Those tweaks, he said, unlocked the offense that had been held back.

McElroy broke it down clearly and said, “Andy Kotelnicki had to do more with less… now he gets to Penn State, he gets to do more with more. He did a fantastic job of making this team more explosive, not just in the run game, but also in the passing game as well.” And here’s the kicker: “Nobody had more 10-plus-yard carries than Penn State last year.” He capped it off with one of those refreshing stat lines we crave: Penn State’s “offensive passing explosiveness” ranking soared from 122nd in 2023 to 45th in 2024.

Then he flipped to defense: “I loved what [former PSU DC] Tom Allen did… but if you’re going to replace Tom Allen… then you’re in a pretty good spot.” But Penn State didn’t just replace him; they poached Jim Knowles from Ohio State. McElroy said, “They take from their rival… they also kind of now get to understand a little bit of the inner workings… they might even know the personnel better as a result of [DC] Jim Knowles’ arrival.” He also emphasized Knowles’ pedigree as “the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the history of college football,” national title core strategist, leader of the nation’s No. 1 defense across scoring, total defense, yards per play, and more.

Why PSU coordinators are the game-changers?

Well, McElroy’s accolades aren’t hyperbole, but rather supported by serious statistics. Under Kotelnicki, Penn State ranked nationally at No. Five in 15+ yard pass plays (22.8%), and No. Seven in the overall explosive play percentage. That creativity cleaned up: QB Drew Allar excelled in the scheme, even putting up an elite passer rating and completion numbers in 2024.

On defense, Knowles delivers more than a name. Ohio State’s 2024 defense on his watch permitted just around 255 yards per game and 12.9 points per game, the best in the country. Now he’s guiding Penn State’s defense under a $3.1 million-per-year deal, the highest-paid coordinator in college football history.

With that addition, Penn State wasn’t piling on the coaching; they implemented strategy. Knowles is described as a ‘Mad Scientist’ for schemes that create turnovers, deception, and flexibility. He’s got a defense that ranked 6th in overall defense under his predecessor, but the expectation now is not only to defend, but to dominate. If being honest, Penn State’s staff has made some decent upgrades. McElroy was right: explosive offense plus elite defensive structure is a mix that’s very difficult to beat. So it’s safe to say that they’re not looking up at the playoff picture; they’re aiming to own it.