Tag: Adrian Klemm

A second look at OL coach candidates for the Oregon Ducks

The Ducks are likely close to making a hire to fill the OL coach vacancy. Here are some new names to potentially look for.

It was a week ago today that we put out our first list of potential offensive line coaching candidates for the Oregon Ducks, as Dan Lanning looks to replace Adrian Klemm, who recently left for a coaching position with the New England Patriots.

It’s time for an update.

While Lanning and his staff have been searching for a replacement, conducting several interviews over the past week, I am told that the hiring could come soon, likely before the end of the week. There have been a lot of names thrown at as potential suitors, but as we’ve seen with hires from Lanning in the past, there’s a good chance that the OL coach comes from relatively off the radar.

These are the names that I have been hearing are in contention and could be named as the next OL coach.

No more excuses in a make-or-break 2023 season for Mac Jones

With things starting to fall into place, Mac Jones must do his part in 2023.

Everyone hears about how important the second year for a young quarterback is, and how that can ultimately make or break a career.

The New England Patriots seemingly did everything they could to set Mac Jones up to fail in 2022. They never named an offensive coordinator, and they allowed first-time offensive play-caller, Matt Patricia, along with Joe Judge, to handle the development of Jones.

The second-year quarterback is not completely off the hook, and he certainly could have been better. But the foundation was clearly ready to crumble before he took his first snap of the season.

And it surely did.

The sun would shine again, when the Patriots announced they were looking for an official offensive coordinator. That’s when Bill O’Brien decided to step back into the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the team. Suddenly, everything in the football world seemed okay again after a disastrous 2022 season.

The Patriots have already started to shape the offensive coaching tree by adding Will Lawing and Adrian Klemm, who have yet to officially be named position coaches. Many believe Lawing will take over for Nick Caley coaching the tight ends, and Klemm will take over for Patricia coaching the offensive line.

But what makes 2023 more important than ever is not because this is Jones’ do-over Year 2. No, he doesn’t get that, and quite frankly, no one should. What happened in 2022 can’t be erased.

Next season is important because it’s a make-or-break year for the former first-round draft pick, and there will be no more excuses.

“Mac needs better coaching.”

Check.

“Mac needs a better supporting cast.”

Check.

Jones had a worse skilled group in 2021, and he played better. How about we take this for face value and admit this year is all on Jones?

The Patriots will still need to do what other teams do for their third-year quarterbacks like the Bills did to get Stefon Diggs ahead of Josh Allen’s third year, or how the Eagles went and added A.J. Brown ahead of Jalen Hurt’s third year.

If the Patriots can add someone of that caliber, the pressure is really on. But even if there aren’t any true game-changers available, the Patriots, with obvious offensive tackle upgrades looming, would have done all they could to support their young quarterback.

Jones has had premiere talent at almost every level of competition he has played, but even the 2022 improvements were overshadowed by the ineptitude of the coaching structure. In 2023, with virtually the same roster, Jones will need to improve.

What makes this year important is simple roster building. After the 2023 season, the Patriots will have to make a decision on Jones’ fifth-year option for 2025.

If he ultimately looks like he did in 2021, I think they gladly pick up the option, call the previous a wash, and attempt to build around him. They could even consider looking to extend him long-term, if they feel that he is their franchise quarterback.

But if 2022 was more on Jones than coaching or personnel and he struggles again, the Patriots could be looking towards the 2024 offseason to find the next guy, whether through free agency, trade, or taking another stab at a first-round quarterback.

The 2023 season will be important for everyone—Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft and Mac Jones. If they can erase the stink from 2022 and develop Jones further, the Patriots can finally have the peace of knowing they’ve found their guy and shift focus towards other needs with the most important position on the field settled.

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Oregon Ducks OL Wish List: 10 candidates to replace Adrian Klemm in Eugene

Where do the Ducks turn to replace Adrian Klemm? We’ve got a list of 10 candidates with notable Oregon connections that might make sense.

News came out on Monday morning that the Oregon Ducks were losing offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, who was heading to the NFL and accepting a job with the New England Patriots. It is undoubtedly a great move for Klemm, and the right step in his career, but it also leaves Dan Lanning and the Ducks in a tough spot when it comes to filling out that spot on the coaching staff in an expedient fashion that has the team ready to roll when spring football comes around in a month.

Fortunately for Oregon, this coaching move comes after the recruiting cycle has closed, and well before the next transfer portal window opens. Once the Ducks do make a hire, they will have 15 practices to get everyone on the same page in the offensive trenches and head into the season hoping to boast one of the top lines in the nation once again.

So who will the Ducks end up hiring to fill Klemm’s shoes? That’s the million-dollar question. While media members can throw out names and put out lists of potential candidates, we’ve seen Lanning make a number of hires in the past that could easily be considered off the radar. Nobody had UTSA’s Will Stein, or Tulane’s Chris Hampton on their radar before Lanning hired them, and there’s a good chance that the OL coach will fit the same billing.

What we do know, though, is that Lanning likes to hire coaches who have a connection to the program, whether it be via a relationship with him or another coach on the staff. In order to try and find some candidates that fit that mold, I went back through Oregon’s offensive staff history and tried to find some OL coaching candidates who might make sense for the Ducks.

Here’s my list of potential coaches that Oregon could look at to take over as the next OL coach:

Opinion: Ducks’ coaching turnover is not a sign of poor hiring — it’s the opposite

Dan Lanning is tasked with making yet another coaching hire this offseason. While fans may be frustrated, it’s a trend that will make Oregon better in the long run.

A lot of Oregon Ducks fans on social media Monday morning reacted to the news that offensive line coach Adrian Klemm would be leaving to take a coaching job with the New England Patriots as you would expect.

“Oregon is a stepping-stone program! How do we make it so these coaches don’t leave after a year or two and take better jobs?”

The honest answer is that you don’t, in my opinion. At least, you don’t if you’re trying to build a coaching staff that is filled with some of the top coaches in the sport.

RELATED: How Adrian Klemm’s departure impacts the Ducks

This is the world of college football right now, and if you’re a good, nationally relevant team that is succeeding on the field and putting players into the NFL, then you are going to have to deal with coaches eventually leaving. Position coaches will jump to become coordinators; coordinators will jump to become head coaches; sometimes head coaches will jump to the NFL. It’s how the system works in college football. Alabama deals with this, as does Georgia, as does Ohio State.

And if you listen to what he says, this is what Dan Lanning wants as well. He has stated multiple times over the past year that he is always encouraging of his coaches going on to take bigger and better jobs. He works hard to foster an environment where coaches can work under him, learn a lot, succeed, and move on. That’s how Kirby Smart was with him at Georgia, and that’s how he’s going to be with his coaches at Oregon.

It happened earlier this year with offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham leaving to take the head coaching job at Arizona State, and again with safeties coach Matt Powledge going back to Baylor to become the defensive coordinator. This isn’t even a recent problem at Oregon, either, but something that Mario Cristobal routinely had to deal with during his tenure. OC Marcus Arroyo left to be the head coach at UNLV; DC Andy Avalos left to be the HC at Boise State; Joe Moorhead left to become the HC at Akron.

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Like I said, in the world of college football that we live in, this is the reality for nationally recognized teams like Oregon.

Gone are the days of coaches staying in a single place for a decade-plus. You will likely never see another Gary Campbell, who coached for 33 years at Oregon from 1983-2016. There may not be another Steve Greatwood, who was at Oregon from 2000-2016. With the new trend of upward mobility, and to be quite honest, the national relevance that the Ducks have obtained in the past couple of decades, Eugene has become a hot spot for position coaches and coordinators to make a leap to the next level.

In the short term, it is sometimes frustrating, and in a year where you lose arguably three of your top 5 coaches — Dillingham, Powledge, and Klemm — it can be tough to replace them all at the same level.

In the end, however, this is a good thing for the Ducks. It shows good coaches can come to Oregon, find success, and move up the coaching ladder. That will lead to more smart football minds wanting to join what is being built in Oregon and more success down the road. Imagine the opposite scenario where nobody wanted to hire any of the coaches that are on your staff. That doesn’t sound like a successful program, does it?

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How does Adrian Klemm’s departure impact the Ducks in both short term and long term?

Adrian Klemm is leaving Oregon to take a coaching position with the New England Patriots. What does that mean for the Ducks both short term and long term?

On Monday morning, news came out that Oregon Ducks offensive line coach and run game coordinator Adrian Klemm was going to leave Eugene to take a coaching position with the New England Patriots, per a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

This news came as a bit of a surprise for Duck fans, considering the fact that less than a week ago, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning stated that he didn’t “anticipate any coaching changes” this offseason in regards to the news that Klemm had interviewed with the Patriots for a coaching job. While it wasn’t a hard and fast “no” in regards to the potential that Klemm would be leaving, a lot of fans were led to believe that their OL coach would be sticking around in Eugene, at least for another season.

Instead, the Ducks will now be looking for another coaching replacement on the staff, which will be the third hire that Lanning has made this offseason — Oregon already replaced OC Kenny Dillingham with Will Stein, and safeties coach Matt Powledge with Chris Hampton.

So with Klemm off to the NFL, where does that leave the Ducks? How does this move impact the team, but in the short term and the long term? Let’s try to answer a few key questions.

More details on Patriots’ relentless pursuit of OL coach Adrian Klemm emerge

New report suggests the Patriots went all in on trying to hire OL coach Adrian Klemm.

The New England Patriots hired former offensive coordinator candidate Adrian Klemm on Monday, and a new report sheds light on how the hiring came together for the Patriots.

Klemm is taking over the offensive line coach position, according to Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar. It was reported last week that Klemm was going back to Oregon, per NESN’s Dakota Randall, but New England continued to make a push behind the scenes to get him.

During an appearance on Zolak & Bertrand, via Randall, NBC Sports Boston’s Albert Breer noted on Monday that news was probably going to break regarding a move on New England’s coaching staff. That report was quickly confirmed by Klemm coming to the Patriots shortly thereafter.

The hires of both Klemm and O’Brien could help the Patriots upgrade their offense, as it looks to transition to a more modern scheme. This is a crucial year for the organization with the offense looking to finally get back on track.

Adding Klemm could be another piece to the equation in helping the organization right the ship.

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Former OC candidate Adrian Klemm reportedly hired by Patriots

The Patriots offense gets a major boost with former Oregon offensive line coach Adrian Klemm reportedly headed to New England.

The New England Patriots continue to build their 2023 offensive staff with the reported hiring of former Oregon associate head coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.

ESPN’s senior college football writer Pete Thamel reported the news on Monday.

Klemm, who was the first player drafted by coach Bill Belichick in his tenure with the Patriots, interviewed for New England’s vacant offensive coordinator position, before Bill O’Brien was officially hired for the job.

The Patriots are clearly in need of an offensive line coach, and the initial thinking is that Klemm could help fill that void upon arrival.

In his previous NFL venture, Klemm worked as the offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. So he clearly has the experience and coaching talent to lend a helping hand to a unit that drastically underperformed for the Patriots in the 2022 season.

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Oregon’s Adrian Klemm leaves Ducks to take coaching job with New England Patriots

Per a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Adrian Klemm is leaving Oregon to take a new coaching job with the New England Patriots.

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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Dan Lanning doesn’t anticipate any coaching changes for Oregon this offseason

Despite multiple interviews with the New England Patriots, Oregon OL coach Adrian Klemm is expected to in Eugene according to Dan Lanning.

Oregon Ducks offensive line coach and run game coordinator Adrian Klemm has been directly linked to the New England Patriots multiple times this offseason, but Dan Lanning doesn’t seem too worried about losing one of his most veteran staff members.

Lanning, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, responded to a question about Klemm and the rumors he could take a job in the NFL with the Patriots by saying he does not anticipate any (more) changes to his coaching staff this offseason.

“I don’t anticipate any changes as of right now,” Lanning said on Wednesday. “Obviously, Adrian is a phenomenal coach, but not currently anticipating any changes there.”

Klemm was initially interviewed by New England for its vacant offensive coordinator role, which went to former Texans head coach and Alabama OC Bill O’Brien.

It was then reported by Albert Breer that Klemm was still under consideration for a role in New England under O’Brien, which would be a tough loss for an Oregon team that already watched offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham take the head coaching job at Arizona State this winter.

However, Lanning’s confidence is a promising sign the Ducks are going to retain the rest of their staff as they look to build upon an extremely promising first year for the new head coach in Eugene.

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Patriots reportedly eyeing three-time Super Bowl champ as next offensive line coach

The Patriots are reportedly eyeing a strong candidate for offensive line coach.

The New England Patriots moved fast in the hiring process for a new offensive coordinator, and the same could hold true for their next offensive line coach as well.

Following the news of Bill O’Brien returning to New England for the vacant offensive coordinator role, NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported the team was “zeroing in” on Oregon assistant head coach, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Adrian Klemm to join the staff.

Klemm, a three-time Super Bowl champion, is seen as a rising star in the coaching community, and he already has familiarity with Patriots coach Bill Belichick from his days as a player in New England. The former offensive tackle was the first ever draft pick by the Patriots in the Belichick era in 2000.

So there’s clearly some deep history there.

 

But there’s also the respect for Klemm’s talent and what he could potentially bring to an offensive front that struggled under Matt Patricia’s watch. The good news is the team doesn’t appear to be going in the direction of having coaches do multiple jobs to the point where they end up feeling stretched too thin.

Klemm’s addition would make life significantly easier for Patricia and possibly find some direction for a unit that has seemed lost since the departure of legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.

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