Entering his third season as a coach in the NFL, Adam Stenavich begins his first year with the Packers in 2019 as the club’s offensive line coach.
Named to his position on Jan. 24, 2019, by Head Coach Matt LaFleur, Stenavich (STEN-uh-vitch) comes to Green Bay after spending the past two seasons as the assistant offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to that, he spent six years in the college ranks, coaching the offensive line at San Jose State (2015-16) and Northern Arizona (2014). Stenavich began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, as a strength and conditioning intern in 2011 before serving as a graduate assistant for the Wolverines for two seasons (2012-13).
In 2018, Stenavich helped coach a San Francisco offensive line that cleared the way for second-year RB Matt Breida to rush for 814 yards and three TDs on 153 carries, an average of 5.32 yards per carry that ranked No. 4 in the NFL. His rushing average was good for No. 3 in franchise history among players with 150-plus attempts in a season, trailing only FB Joe Perry (6.06 in 1954) and RB Frank Gore (5.43 in 2006). As a team, the 49ers posted 60 runs of 10-plus yards on the season, good for No. 8 in the league.
San Francisco’s line also provided time for the 49ers quarterbacks to throw for 4,247 yards in 2018, the most by the club since 2000 (4,400 yards). Combined with San Francisco’s 4,235 passing yards in 2017, it marked the first time that the 49ers registered back-to-back 4,200-yard passing seasons since 1993-95. The line helped protect QB Nick Mullens in ’18, who threw for 2,277 yards in his first eight career games (Weeks 9-10, 12-17), the fourth most in the league by a quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Despite losing starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, the 49ers would go on to rank No. 13 in the league in rushing offense and No. 15 in passing offense, one of only eight NFL teams to finish in the top half of the league in both categories in 2018.
In his first season on San Francisco’s staff in 2017, Stenavich helped tutor a line that contributed to the 49ers averaging 349.2 yards per game, good for No. 12 in the NFL, including an average of 245.3 passing yards per game (No. 9 in the league). San Francisco racked up 3,925 net passing yards, the most by the team since 2000 (4,239). The 49ers came on strong in the second half of the season, ranking No. 2 in the league with an average of 400.3 total yards per game in Weeks 10-17 as the club won six of its final seven games.
Stenavich helped coach T Joe Staley, who earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2017. Staley and the line cleared the way for the offense to register runs of 10-plus yards on 13.0 percent of its carries in ’17, which ranked No. 5 in the league. RB Carlos Hyde led the team with 938 yards and eight TDs on 240 attempts (3.9 avg.), with Breida adding 465 yards and two TDs on 105 carries (4.4 avg.).
Prior to joining the 49ers, Stenavich spent two seasons (2015-16) coaching the offensive line at San Jose State. In 2015, his line helped clear the way for the offense to rush for 2,378 yards and 24 TDs with 2,882 passing yards and 21 TDs to become just the second team in school history to register 2,000-plus rushing yards/20-plus rushing TDs and 2,000-plus passing yards/20-plus passing TDs in a season (1976). T Wes Schweitzer earned second-team All-Mountain West Conference honors and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round (No. 195 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Another one of Stenavich’s linemen, T Nate Velichko, earned honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition in ’15 after spending the previous season at right guard.
Stenavich joined San Jose State after spending the 2014 season as the offensive line coach at Northern Arizona. His line helped the Lumberjacks rank No. 16 in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in passing offense (272.5 ypg) and No. 34 in total offense (419.5 ypg). NAU’s line cleared the way for three different backs to register 100-yard rushing games on the season, with a pair of linemen earning All-Big Sky Conference honors (T Joe Gurski, second team; G Eric Rodriguez, third team).
Stenavich began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, in 2011 as a strength and conditioning intern. He then served as an offensive graduate assistant for the Wolverines for two seasons (2012-13). A left tackle at Michigan (2002-05), Stenavich earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in both of his final two seasons, also taking home the Hugh R. Rader Jr. Award as Michigan’s top offensive lineman as a senior in 2005.
Following his collegiate career, Stenavich signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in May 2006, but was released by the team in the final roster reduction. He was signed to Green Bay’s practice squad in November 2006 and spent the final six weeks of the season with the Packers. In the spring of 2007, he was allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa by the Packers and went to training camp with Green Bay that season. Stenavich was with the Dallas Cowboys in training camp in 2008 and then was on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2008-09.
Born March 11, 1983, in Marshfield, Wis., Stenavich earned first-team all-state honors as a senior at Marshfield High School. He and his wife, Kate, have two daughters, Hadley and Maggie, and two sons, Tim and Joseph.
