Eric Bieniemy received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival in March; colleagues lined the hallway of UCLA’s practice facility to serenade him with applause.
The new offensive coordinator removed one of his Super Bowl rings for DeShaun Foster, his new boss, to inspect.
“It’s time,” Bienemy said that day, referring to his plans to do big things. “It’s time.”
Nine months later, after a season in which the Bruins’ offense was considered one of the worst in the country and several top players regressed from their previous form, Bieniemy’s boss decided it was time to move on.
In a development that showed both an acknowledgment of making the wrong hire and a willingness to change quickly, Foster cut ties with Bieniemy on Thursday after their one season together saw struggles across the board on offense.
Foster secured an intriguing replacement and agreed to hire Indiana quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri after the Hoosiers’ season ended, according to a person close to the situation who was not authorized to discuss to make the information publicly known because the step has not been taken. official.
Sunseri, who turns 36 later this month, was one of the architects of an Indiana offense that ranks among the nation’s best, averaging 43.3 points per game as he led the Hoosiers to an expected appearance in College Football Playoff brought.
UCLA averaged less than half that figure under Bieniemy. The Bruins ranked No. 117 in the country in total offense (328.8 yards per game), No. 126 in scoring offense (18.4 points per game) and No. 130 in rushing offense (86.6 yards per game ). The Bruins’ inability to run the ball was especially maddening, as both Foster and Bieniemy had success as running backs in the NFL.
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Several top players entered the transfer portal after the team’s final game last weekend, including quarterback Justyn Martin, running back TJ Harden and slot receiver Logan Loya. The Bruins also lost high school seniors Madden Iamaleava and Jace Brown on Wednesday when they signed with Arkansas amid rumors of Bieniemy’s firing.
Bieniemy’s agent, Jason Fletcher, labeled Bieniemy’s departure as a mutual parting of the ways in a statement, saying the former offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders was still being paid by the NFL team and assisted Foster for a season before taking a made a planned return to the NFL in 2025.
But that statement does not match the terms of a two-year contract that included $550,000 in retention bonuses if Bieniemy stayed on until the end of July. It also doesn’t hold up, as Bieniemy was recruiting for the Bruins and had no new job to announce at the time of his departure. Bieniemy was scheduled to receive a $180,000 hiring bonus on Saturday.
After a blazing performance in his lone season with the Commanders, Bieniemy, 55, was bombastic in his return to UCLA after previously serving as running backs coach under Karl Dorrell. He regularly unleashed a stream of expletives and biting one-liners that spread across the practice field. Players said Bieniemy’s plays were wordy and difficult to learn, and the results reflected those struggles.
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Veteran quarterback Ethan Garbers and Harden both failed to replicate their production from last year under coach Chip Kelly, who also led the team’s offense.
Bieniemy also played a crucial role in the hiring of offensive line coach Juan Castillo after they worked with the Commanders. UCLA’s offensive line was one of the team’s most underperforming position groups last season, allowing 34 sacks and failing to open enough holes for the running backs. ESPN reported that Castillo is not expected to return next season.
Bieniemy’s UCLA offense never remotely resembled the offense he helped build with the Kansas City Chiefs as they won Super Bowls in 2020 and 2023.
Foster is expected to make other changes to his staff, including the addition of Demetrice Martin to help coach the secondary players. His biggest move might be parting ways with the offensive coordinator who didn’t live up to the hype.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
