After a very up-and-down season, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, the UCLA Bruins and head coach DeShaun Foster are parting ways with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
The move is not that unexpected, however, the timing is interesting considering that the early signing day was just yesterday, and the Bruins lost multiple offensive recruits, and many offensive stalwarts are entering the transfer portal.
UCLA ranked 15th in the Big Ten in Total Offense with 328.8 yards per game and ranked 16th in the Big Ten in points per game averaging a paltry 18.4. In 2023 under Chip Kelly, the Bruins averaged 427.1 yards per game, and 26.5 points per game.
The scheme was all over the place, and the running game was downright atrocious. The UCLA Bruins were dead last in the Big Ten in rushing averaging 86.6 yards per game. Across town, Lincoln Riley has never been known as a run-first coach, but the USC Trojans averaged 148.7 rushing yards per game, for some context.
Also Read: UCLA Bruins Top Offensive Prospect Flips Commitment
When you have a head coach who was one of the best running back coaches in College Football, and an OC who was once considered one of the great offensive minds in all of football, something was clearly systemically wrong and a change had to be made.
However, in an odd twist, Bieniemy’s agent made a statement about the decision. In the statement, he says:
“Eric and UCLA mutually parted ways today as previously planned. He’s still getting paid by the Commanders. After interviewing for head coaching jobs last year, he wanted to stay active and busy. So, he decided to go help out DeShaun Foster, who is like his little brother, at UCLA as opposed to sitting out a year. The plan was always to return to the NFL in 2025, and he’s looking forward to the opportunities ahead.”
This is a heck of a spin job, but also a bad look for both Bieniemy and Foster.
For Bieniemy, the UCLA offense was so bad under his guidance and play-calling that he may not get another opportunity in the NFL. A Head Coach position is completely off the table, and most likely offensive coordinator is as well. He will likely have to get hired on as an RB coach somewhere and go from there.
For Foster, if this statement has any shred of truth, it was a terrible misstep to hire such an important position (especially for a first-time head coach) with the knowledge that it was guaranteed to only last one season. How do you build a program and a recruiting pipeline like that?
Coordinators get poached all the time for other jobs, but to knowingly hire a rental does not set the UCLA Football program up for success in the future.
An OC Candidate Has Emerged For The UCLA Bruins
Per Pete Nakos of On3, Indiana QB Coach Tino Sunseri has emerged as a target for the UCLA Bruins offensive coordinator position.
Tino Sunseri was part of a Hoosiers offense that finished 4th in the Big Ten averaging 438.8 yards per game, and first in the conference averaging 43.3 points per game.
He can also be credited with the development of QB Kurtis Rourke who had a fantastic season despite missing some time due to injury. There was a period when he was considered a serious Heisman contender.
Sunseri began his coaching career as a quality control assistant for Florida State and then Tennessee before becoming a graduate assistant for Alabama. He then joined Curt Cignetti as the Quarterbacks Coach at James Madison and followed Cignetti to Indiana after that, where he also has the Co-Offensive Coordinator title.
Note: Offensive Line coach Juan Castillo is also expected to part ways with the program.
We will continue to update this story as it develops.