Eric Bieniemy’s return to UCLA did not last long.
Bieniemy has been fired as the Bruins’ offensive coordinator after just one season. Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reported the news.
In addition to Bieniemy, UCLA is not expected to retain offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
UCLA is planning to hire Indiana QB coach Tino Sunseri to serve as their offensive coordinator.
Interestingly, Bieniemy’s agent is framing things as this being part of the plan.
“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,” Bieniemy’s agent said in a statement.
UCLA went 5-7 this season, which was their first year in the Big Ten and first under Deshaun Foster, who assumed the head coaching role late in the year after Chip Kelly surprisingly left the program. College Football Reference had UCLA ranked as having the most difficult schedule in the country. The team’s offense averaged 18.4 points per game, which ranked them 126th of 134 schools. Their offense averaged just 328.8 yards per game.
The 55-year-old former running back coached running backs at UCLA from 2003-2005. He later became known for being the offensive coordinator of the Chiefs from 2018-2022.
What do you think – did Bieniemy want out, did UCLA not want him back, or was it really mutual, as his agent stated?
