FootballScoop is proud to announce that Chris Klenakis (Vanderbilt) is the 2025 FootballScoop Offensive Line Coaches of the Year, presented by Teamworks as selected by prior winners.
Vanderbilt's offense transformed from 2023 to 2024. By adding possible Heisman Trophy winner Diego Pavia, All-American tight end Eli Stowers, offensive coordinator Tim Beck, senior offensive advisor Jerry Kill and Chris Klenakis to make it all work as the offensive line coach, the Commodores jumped from two wins to seven.
Thanks to Klenakis's O-line, the jump Vandy's offense made from 2024 to 2025 was even bigger. Vanderbilt's 2024 offense was good; its 2025 attack was downright lethal.
After improving from 5.18 yards per play in 2023 to 5.31 in 2024, the 'Dores led the nation in 2025 at 7.54 yards per play -- and they led it by a relative mile. The gap between No. 1 Vanderbilt and No. 2 North Texas (7.33 per play) was as big as the gap between UNT and No. 6 Cincinnati.
The Commodores averaged 185.9 rushing yards per game -- (again) a big jump from their 139.8 average a year ago, and the highest total for a Vanderbilt offense in at least the past 10 seasons. On a per carry basis, Vanderbilt was fourth nationally at 5.81 (setting the school record by more than a yard per carry), and their 34 rushing touchdowns tied for sixth. The 'Dores were also a top-30 unit nationally at 4.33 tackles for loss allowed per game.
The Vanderbilt offensive line also allowed Pavia ample opportunity to do his thing. The nation's fourth-most efficient passer, Pavia hit 71.2 percent of his passes for 9.4 per attempt (3,192 in total), while also leading the club 826 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. In all, Pavia is second in the country at 334.8 yards of total offense per game, and he closed the year with four consecutive games of at least 400 yards from scrimmage, including a bonkers 532-yard effort against Kentucky.
Vanderbilt's offense ranks third nationally in third down conversions (53.23 percent), and turned 57 red zone opportunities into 43 touchdowns -- the sixth-best rate in college football. The Commodores also tied for eighth at 24.3 first downs per game.
Add it all together, and Vanderbilt showcased massive growth in the two most important statistics: points and wins. Perhaps no number underscores the bottom line of Vanderbilt's growth quite like this one: after scoring 43 touchdowns in 13 games a year ago, they've scored 63 in 12 games to date. The 'Dores scoring averaged leapt from 27.3 to 39.4, besting the previous school record by more than nine points per game, while the team enjoyed the first 10-win regular season in 135 years of football.
In the ultimate compliment to Klenakis's coaching, Vanderbilt led the SEC by half a yard per play (even when examining conference games only) and were two points off the lead in scoring average without a single All-SEC offensive lineman.
A 4-year letterman at linebacker for Carroll College, Klenakis entered coaching as a high school head coach in Nevada in 1986. He took a graduate assistant role at Nevada in 1990; he remained there through 1999, rising the ranks to eventually become the Wolf Pack's offensive coordinator by 1997. From 2000-09 he became the offensive coordinator at Southern Miss, Central Missouri, and then Nevada again. Klenakis has been the offensive line coach at Arkansas, Iowa State, Louisville, Liberty and Kennesaw State prior to joining Vanderbilt's staff in 2024.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by Teamworks are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Adam Cushing [Texas A&M], Jim Harding [Utah], Jeff Norrid [Duke], A'lique Terry [Oregon] and Klenakis) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Offensive Line Coach of the Year award are Steve Greatwood (Oregon, 2008), Tony Wise (Pittsburgh, 2009), Bob Bostad (Wisconsin, 2010) Greg Studrawa (LSU, 2011), Ed Warinner (Ohio State, 2012 and 2014), Mike Bloomgren (Stanford, 2013), Tom Manning (Toledo, 2015), Brian Callahan/Bill Kenney (Western Michigan, 2016), Bill Bedenbaugh (Oklahoma, 2017), Glen Elarbee (UCF, 2018), James Cregg (LSU, 2019), DJ Looney and Rob Sale (Louisiana, 2020), Jim Harding (Utah, 2021), Sherrone Moore (Michigan, 2022), Scott Huff (Washington, 2023), and Matt Drinkall and Mike Viti (Army, 2024).
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