Eric Bieniemy fired as UCLA offensive coordinator

Eric Bieniemy will not be back for a second season at UCLA.

On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed that the Bruins are expected to fire Bieniemy after one year as their offensive coordinator. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports had first reported the move out in Los Angeles.

Now, Jason Fletcher, Bieniemy’s agent, has since released a statement in explaining this as a mutual decision with his client hoping to return to coaching in the pros after a season away.

“Eric and UCLA mutually parted ways today as previously planned,” Fletcher said per Tom Pelissero. “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 spent one fall at UCLA as offensive coordinator and associate head coach under DeShaun Foster. That came after a decade and a half coaching in the NFL with the Washington Commanders, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Bieniemy was also previously a running backs coach and recruiting coordinator before at UCLA from 2003 to 2005 with other coaching stops at his alma mater with Colorado in 2001 as well as Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver.

The Bruins’ offense averaged just 18.4 ppg., which was 126th in the nation, with 328.8 yards a game under Bieniemy in 2024. That included not reaching 20 points in any of their first six games, which they went 1-5 in, with eight such games in total during their season.

While in the National Football League, Bieniemy was one of the more respected offensive minds. Over six seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Commanders and Chiefs, they posted 28.3 ppg. Essentially all of that success came over five seasons with Kansas City, though, as they, under Andy Reid and with QB Patrick Mahomes, finished in the top 10 every season and top five in four of the five seasons in scoring at an average of 30.1 ppg., along with other league-leading offensive statistics. That span also included all five years with the Chiefs reaching the AFC Championship, and three where the team made the Super Bowl, winning two (LIV, LVII).

As a player in Boulder from 1987 to 1990, Bieniemy put up 4,230 yards of offense, including 3,940 in rushing, with 42 total touchdowns during his collegiate career. He had a career-best season as a senior in 1990 when he rushed for 1,628 yards and 17 scores on 288 carries. He was a Consensus All-American for that and finished third in the voting for The Heisman Trophy as the Buffaloes then went on to win the national title.

In his reporting, Nakos noted Indiana’s Tino Sunseri, the Hoosier’s quarterbacks coach, as an option to replace Bieniemy as UCLA’s OC.

Bieniemy has consistently had his name come up during coaching searches at all levels over the past few years of his career. That could continue with him now available again after one year in Hollywood.