The Steelers' season didn't end with Sunday's 36-10 loss at Kansas City, but it did for one of their assistant coaches. Adrian Klemm, in his first year as the head offensive line coach and third overall in Pittsburgh, is leaving immediately to take a similar job at the University of Oregon.
According to multiple reports, Klemm will become Oregon's assistant head coach in addition to offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Dan Lanning was hired as the Ducks head coach earlier this month, and Klemm has more experience in college than at the NFL level after spending five seasons at UCLA from 2012-16.
But it's highly unusual for an NFL coach to leave before the season is finished, especially in the Steelers organization. Klemm originally accepted the Oregon job last week, but was expected to remain with the Steelers until the end of the 2021 campaign. After all, the Steelers still harbor playoff hopes with two games left against Cleveland and Baltimore.
Instead, a young unit up front will be led by Chris Morgan, in his first season as assistant offensive line coach. Morgan actually has more NFL experience than Klemm, given that he was the Atlanta Falcons' head offensive line coach from 2015-20.
