Reports have been swirling for the past couple of weeks that Oregon Ducks associate head coach and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm was flirting with the idea of taking a job on the New England Patriots coaching staff, and the news of his move finally came out on Monday morning, per a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Klemm, who initially interviewed for the offensive coordinator job under Bill Belichick in New England, will reportedly take over in a coaching role for the Patriots in 2023.
The Patriots also hired Alabama Crimson Tide OC Bill O’Brien as the new play-caller in New England as well.
After signing day last week, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was asked about the possibility that there could be coaching changes this offseason, with Klemm interviewing for the New England job.
“I don’t anticipate any changes at this time,” Lanning said.
The Ducks will now be left trying to fill another coaching spot, which will be the third such position this offseason after both offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham and safeties coach Matt Powledge both left Eugene.
Klemm was an offensive lineman for the Patriots from 2000-2004, winning three super bowls in his NFL career, and also spent time coaching at UCLA, as well as with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. He came to Oregon as the run-game coordinator in 2022 and was a massive success, providing a huge recruiting boost to the program under Dan Lanning and coaching one of the top-ranked offensive lines in the nation last season. He also helped to land 5-star OT Josh Conerly in the 2022 class, the No. 1 OT in the nation, and the highest-rated OL to ever sign with the Ducks.
Going forward, Lanning will have to find another coach to fill out his staff in Eugene, and it’s going to be hard to match the level of development and recruiting abilities that Klemm brought to the table. If we’ve learned anything from Lanning’s time with the Ducks, though, it should be to trust him when he brings guys into his program. So far, he hasn’t let fans down.
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