USC hires veteran offensive line coach to be defensive analyst

USC hired a coach with an extensive offensive background to be its defensive analyst on Wednesday, with head coach Lincoln Riley confirming the addition of Adrian Klemm to his staff.

There is a method to Riley’s madness though. He wanted a coach with an offensive background to be his new defensive analyst. Klemm was already working with USC’s linebackers during the media viewing period of fall practice on Wednesday.

Klemm spent the 2023 season as the offensive line coach for the New England Patriots. His NFL pedigree also includes a stint as offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Klemm has spent plenty of time in the college ranks, too, and on the West Coast, so the USC job won’t be his first taste of life out west. He was part of the staffs at Oregon and UCLA, so now Klemm will get to experience the other side of the USC-UCLA rivalry in the Big Ten.

Adrian was available, and we had an open position,” explained Riley. “We were actively looking for someone with an offensive background for a defensive role, which is a little bit tough to find sometimes. He’d obviously had some familiarity with this place and with people on our staff. We got a chance to connect with him, and it just made sense.

For Riley and USC, Klemm was the right person at just the right time, and the 2 sides made it work for the 2025 season.

Klemm is also known for his strong recruiting ability in addition to his impressive coaching background.