Oregon officially announces hirings of wideout coach Junior Adams, special teams coordinator Joe Lorig
Oregon officially announced two more additions to new head coach Dan Lanning’s staff on Monday.
Joe Lorig has joined the program as the Ducks’ special teams coordinator and nickels coach, and Junior Adams has come aboard as the team’s new wideout coach and co-offensive coordinator.
.@CoachJoeLorig is coming home to the Pacific Northwest!@CoachDanLanning has officially announced the hiring of Joe Lorig as the Ducks’ special teams coordinator and nickels coach. #GoDucks
More: https://t.co/YXy5j7bc3R pic.twitter.com/UTFgRuiJOS
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 3, 2022
Lorig returns to the Pacific Northwest after spending the last three seasons as the special teams coordinator at Penn State. Prior to his stint with the Nittany Lions, Lorig spent three years with Memphis, where he crossed paths with Lanning. Lorig has also made stops at Western Oregon (1997-98), Idaho State (1999-06), UTEP (2007), Central Washington (2008-11), Arizona State (2012-13), and Utah State (2014-15).
“It gives me great pleasure to announce Joe Lorig as our special teams coordinator and nickels coach,” Lanning said in a release. “Joe has a proven track record of coaching special teams. His units have twice ranked No. 1 nationally in special teams efficiency, and Joe is also connected with many of the high school coaches throughout the state of Oregon. He has an affinity for this part of the country, and it’s just very exciting to be able to attract a coach of this caliber to our staff. Duck nation, please welcome Joe and his wife, Becky, their son, Tyler, and their daughters, Jordan and Emma, to Eugene.”
Under Lorig’s guidance, Jordan Stout became the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2021 and earned second-team All-America honors as well as a finalist nod for the Ray Guy Award. Jahan Dotson also received third-team All-Big Ten recognition as a punt returner after averaging a school record 24.6 yards per punt return. Special teams were a strength for Penn State all three years under Lorig. In 2020, they were one of four Power Five teams to score a kick and punt return touchdown. Dotson was one of just three players nationally with two punt returns of 50 yards or more, including an 81-yard return for a touchdown. And in 2019, the Nittany Lions’ special teams unit ranked 11th nationally in FootballOutsiders‘ efficiency metric.
“Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and attending college in the state, the University of Oregon has always been my dream job,” Lorig said. “I am extremely grateful to Coach Lanning for this incredible opportunity to work with him again, and I am very excited about the outstanding staff that he has assembled.”
Welcome to Oregon, @junioradams13!
Big offensive addition to @CoachDanLanning‘s coaching staff as Junior Adams joins the Ducks as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. #GoDucks
More: https://t.co/JUtpnNefmv pic.twitter.com/jr8l3hPNu0
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 4, 2022
As for Adams, the longtime wideout coach has spent the past three seasons at Washington. He initially joined head coach Chris Petersen’s staff as wide receivers coach in 2019. Adams was key in signing 4-star 2022 wideout Germie Bernard during the early signing period. He was the primary recruiter in four different 4-star wideout commitments the Huskies secured while he was in Seattle. He has history working in and around the Pacific Northwest, and held an offensive coordinator role while at Western Kentucky.
“Junior Adams is a great addition to this coaching staff,” Lanning said in a release. “He has tremendous experience on the West Coast both as a player and a coach, as well as knowledge and familiarity working in the Pac-12 Conference. Coach Adams is a terrific teacher and mentor of young men, and I am excited for our student-athletes to get the opportunity to learn from him.
“He has a track record of developing NFL talent at the wide receiver position, and I am looking forward to seeing him develop some more playmakers here at Oregon. His experience as a play caller will be extremely beneficial to our staff as we work to install our offensive system here at Oregon. I am thrilled to welcome Junior and his family to Eugene.”
The pair join offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Kenny Dillingham, co-defensive coordinator Matt Powledge, cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin, defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm as official additions to Lanning’s staff.