The 49ers intend to name Klay Kubiak their offensive coordinator — head coach Kyle Shanahan said so last week.

But before they promote Kubiak, the 49ers have to conduct a formal round of interviews for the position. Those are the NFL’s rules. And so, on Monday they interviewed Iowa State wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator Noah Pauley for the vacant offensive coordinator job.

I feel bad for Pauley. He has zero chance to get the job. The 49ers interviewed him simply because they have to interview someone before they promote Kubiak. I wonder how many coaches turned down the 49ers’ interview requests before Pauley accepted his. At least he’s on the NFL’s radar now.

Pauley has coached at Iowa State since 2023, so he did not overlap with Purdy. Before coaching at Iowa State, Pauley was the wide receivers coach at North Dakota State where he did overlap with Trey Lance. Maybe that’s what brought Pauley to the 49ers’ attention.

Still, it would be one heck of a jump to go from passing game coordinator in college to offensive coordinator in the NFL. Pauley might need a few more years of experience before he’s ready to make the leap to the NFL, if he ever makes the leap to the NFL.

I expect the 49ers officially will name Kubiak their offensive coordinator some time in the next few weeks. Realistically, they can take as much time as they want considering he already essentially is their offensive coordinator — they simply haven’t given him the title yet. His job description will not change according to Shanahan.