Offensive lineman Adam Kleffner had a trifecta of good things happen during his final year playing for the Vikings.  And while he was happy with a lot of things, he wasn't truly satisfied.
     
First the good:
·         On the field, his team made the biggest win/loss turnaround in the Big Sky Conference, going from 2-9 to 7-4.
·         He graduated with a degree in business management, carrying a 3.3 cumulative GPA.
·         He has been hired by the Viking football program as a quality control coach for 2012.
Then the frustration:
·         He felt the 2011 version of the PSU Vikings had been good enough to make the playoffs.
    
“Adam had a great year.  He's tough and physical and takes a lot of pride in his work.  He's a natural leader,” said Run Game Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Brad Davis.
      
And, Kleffner agreed that, for him, the year was “awesome. I couldn't have asked for anything more (well, maybe a little, as we'll soon see)… exceeding everyone's pre-season expectations, sort of coming out of nowhere like that. It was great.”
    
“This year, he had more knowledge of the game. He put in a lot of time studying during the off season and committed himself to the weight room,” said Davis.
     
Kleffner felt he developed his leadership role over his final season, “helping bring a lot of guys along, influencing them, helping them do the things the right way to set them up for future success.”
    
He thinks he helped build for a successful 2012 season. “I hope I left things in pretty good shape. We'll see in the fall,” said the Jesuit high school product who was the 2012 recipient of the Pokey Allen endowed scholarship.
    
He's going to get a chance to see the results of that leadership first hand as Davis helped him obtain the role of quality control coach for the coming season, working under Davis with the offense, particularly with that offensive line.
       
“He'll be a good coach because he's charismatic, has lots of enthusiasm and a great love for football. He's a great communicator and he's a persistent and detailed person,” said Davis.
     
The highlight of his senior year was “seeing guys who stepped up, seeing the whole successful season unfold before your eyes.  We surprised a lot of people”…but…”while external expectations weren't so high for us, internally, we thought we had the talent to make the playoffs.  You look back on some games…a play here, a play there…”
    
As to the future, he'll see where his initial foray into coaching takes him.
    
“My business management degree will be useful because a lot of business management has to do with dealing with people, teams of people.  Success in the business world has a lot in common with success on the field,” said Kleffner.  In the back of his mind is still the option of a graduate degree and a run at the business world.
    
Overall, it's been a great run at PSU, he said. “I feel the last five years have been awesome. I'm thankful for the scholarships which have made it possible for me to play ball and go to school.”