Joe Lorig - Special Teams Philosophy & Drills

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Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association

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Joe Lorig returned to the Pacific Northwest to join Dan Lanning’s inaugural staff at Oregon as the special team's coordinator and nickels coach on January 3, 2022. The Edmonds, Wash., native came back to the West Coast after spending the previous three seasons as the special team's coordinator while working with various defensive positions. Lorig has a long coaching history that includes stops at Memphis, Utah State, Arizona State, and multiple FCS and Division II schools

Joe Lorig was at Penn State as the special team's coordinator. He added nickels to his title in 2021 and outside linebackers in 2020 after spending the 2019 campaign as a defensive assistant in addition to his role as special teams coordinator. Lorig has 24 years of collegiate coaching experience, including eight seasons as a special teams coordinator and eight years as a defensive coordinator. With a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown by Lamont Wade vs. Illinois and an 81-yard punt return for a score by Jahan Dotson vs. Michigan State, PSU was one of four Power Five schools in 2020 to have a kick and a punt return for a TD. Dotson finished the year averaging 24.6 yards per punt return, a school record, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a return specialist. In addition, Dotson was just one of three players nationally to have two punt returns of 50-plus yards.

In 2019, the Nittany Lions’ special teams unit was ranked first among Power Five schools in special teams efficiency and tied for second nationally overall according to ESPN.com. Three of Lorig’s specialists in 2019, including punter Blake Gillikin, kick returner KJ Hamler, and kicker Jake Pinegar, all earned All-Big Ten honorable mention laurels. Penn State’s special teams unit allowed 1.7 yards per punt return (5th nationally) and 17.0 yards per kick return (8th) in 2019. In his three seasons at Memphis as the special team's coordinator and outside linebackers coach, Lorig’s special teams unit finished in the top five in FBS in kick return average twice and in the top 20 in kick return defense every year.