Former Hawaii players Adrian Klemm, Tony Tuioti join Oregon staff

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Adrian Klemm

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Tony Tuioti

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The University of Oregon will have a Hawaii influence on its coaching staff.

Adrian Klemm, who played offensive line for the Warriors from 1996 to 1999, is leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was the head offensive line coach, and is taking a similar job with the Ducks.

Last week, Tony Tuioti, who played defensive line for UH also from 1996 to 1999, left Nebraska to become the defensive line coach at Oregon.

Like Klemm, Tuioti has NFL experience as well as extensive college experience. Tuioti spent the past three seasons as the Huskers’ defensive line coach. Before that he coached at California (2017-18) and Hawaii (2000-01, 2010-15), and he worked as the director of player personnel at both Hawaii (2008-09) and Michigan (2016). Tuioti also spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns (2014-15). He also was a head coach at Kalaheo High School.

New Oregon head coach Dan Lanning announced Tuioti’s hiring on Dec. 23.

“My family and I are extremely excited and blessed to have the opportunity to work at the University of Oregon,” Tuioti said on goducks.com, “a place with great fans, a winning tradition, and a national brand! Coach Lanning is a great defensive minded coach and I can’t wait to get started working with the staff and getting to know and serve the young men in the program. Go Ducks!”

Klemm was in his first year with the Steelers as the head offensive line coach and third overall in Pittsburgh.

According to multiple reports, Klemm will become Oregon’s assistant head coach in addition to offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Klemm, a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2000, was UCLA’s run-game coordinator and offensive line coach from 2012 to 2013. He added the title of associate head coach from 2014 to 2016 while still being responsible for the run game and offensive line.

Klemm originally accepted the Oregon job last week, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but was expected to remain with the Steelers until the end of the 2021 campaign. But he decided to leave immediately.