Oregon expected to retain OL coach Adrian Klemm for 2023 season

Oregon scored a major victory this week by retaining one of Dan Lanning’s top assistant coaches.

Adrian Klemm, who served as the Ducks’ associate head coach and offensive line coach in 2022, is expected to be back with Oregon in the same role in 2023, according to Lanning.

Klemm interviewed last month to become New England’s offensive coordinator. The franchise ultimately opted to hire former Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in that role but circled back to Klemm for its offensive line coach position.

While speaking with reporters via Zoom on Wednesday, though, Lanning said he isn’t expecting any further changes to his coaching staff.

“I don’t anticipate any changes as of right now,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said on Wednesday. “I think that just speaks to the quality of staff that we have here and what people think of our staff. Obviously, Adrian’s a phenomenal coach. But not currently anticipating any changes there.”

Oregon’s offensive line was one of the best in college football during Klemm’s first season with the program.

The Ducks allowed just five sacks, the fewest in the nation among FBS programs. Pro Football Focus issued Oregon a pass-blocking grade of 84.8 which was the fourth-best in the nation. Senior left tackle T.J. Bass and senior center Alex Forsyth were both tabbed as All-Americans by various publications.

Sophomores Marcus Harper II and Jackson Powers-Johnson experienced breakout seasons along the interior of the offensive line.

Under Klemm, Oregon was less reliant on frequently rotating offensive linemen than it was under his predecessor, Alex Mirabal.

“My preference is to develop some form of continuity among the group,” Klemm said in August. “I think it’s better that way. If guys can play together, they get a better feel for one another. When the running back is in the backfield, if he’s following the same guys on combinations throughout the week, he knows how to set that up.”

“If you have guys coming in and out, there’s a lot of uncertainty for other positions and then there’s a lack of continuity within the group. But you need to have position flexibility.”

On the recruiting front, Klemm was integral in helping Oregon sign a flurry of highly-rated prospects, including 4-star offensive linemen Josh Conerly Jr., Dave Iuli, and Iapani Laloulu.

Retaining Klemm was significant for the Ducks, in part, because they had already lost two key assistants during the offseason. Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kenny Dillingham left to become Arizona State’s head coach in November.

In December, Ducks’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Powledge left to become Baylor’s defensive coordinator.

Oregon replaced Dillingham with former UTSA offensive coordinator Will Stein. Earlier this week, the University announced that it has hired former Tulane defensive coordinator Chris Hampton to fill Powledge’s role.

“I think as a coach you always have to be prepared for a transition, especially when you’re successful,” Lanning said in December when asked about potential coaching departures. “When you talk about having a staff reach their goals and aspirations, you want to be able to create those opportunities and you have to be prepared for those moments.”