Steelers promote assistant Adrian Klemm to full-fledged OL coach, per report
Just like last time, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t go too far to find a new offensive line coach.
Adrian Klemm has been promoted from assistant OL coach to the full-time gig, according to a report from the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Klemm replaces Shaun Sarrett, who two years ago made the similar jump from assistant to full-fledged Steelers offensive line coach.
Sarrett, who replaced Hall of Famer Mike Munchak, was fired last month following a season in which the Steelers finished dead last in the NFL in rushing. Sarrett since has latched on with the Los Angeles Chargers as assistant line coach.
The #Steelers are promoting Adrian Klemm to offensive line coach after he served as the team’s assistant OL coach for the previous two seasons, source said. The former #Patriots draft pick spent several years with UCLA coaching before joining Pittsburgh.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2021
Klemm, 43, appeared in 42 regular-season games over a pro playing career that spanned 2000-06. He won three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, mostly as a backup. His coaching career was entirely in the college ranks (at SMU and UCLA) until his 2019 hiring by the Steelers to assist Sarrett.
Over the final three seasons on the UCLA staff from 2014-16, Kelmm held the title of associate head coach along with run game coordinator and offensive line coach. Klemm and former Bruins head coach Jim Mora in 2019 were named in three civil suits that alleged harassment, humiliation and overlooking concussion protocols.
The pending suits, which sought $15 million in damages, accused Klemm of instructing players to hit others in the head.
The Steelers fired three assistants and had another retire (tight ends coach James Daniel) last month. They promoted former quarterbacks coach Matt Canada to replace Randy Fichtner as offensive coordinator, leaving a vacancy there. Alfredo Roberts was hired to replace Daniel.
The team has not announced a new defensive backs coach after parting ways with Tom Bradley. It also now, presumably, will seek a new assistant for Klemm.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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