WATCH: UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper addresses change in playcalling
UCLA interim head coach Tim Skipper confirmed Wednesday the departure of first-year offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri and the playcalling duties shifting to Jerry Neuheisel.
The Los Angeles Times first reported the sudden change Tuesday evening, hours after Sunseri was present for the morning practice.
Skipper was short on details about whether he had input in the move, other than adding Neuheisel was moved from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach and Skipper was the one who appointed him the new playcaller. He also could not address the expected addition of former UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone to the staff in an analyst role because the move has yet to be finalized.
“Coach Sunseri and the university agreed to mutually part ways,” Skipper said after Wednesday’s practice. “I want to thank coach Sunseri for what he’s done here, had great conversations with him during my time here and just talking ball and he’s a coach’s kid and just getting better that way.
“It was all just mutual agreement — that’s all I want to say about it, you know? All of the elements were together on it and it was mutual.”
Neuheisel, who walked into practice alongside backup quarterback Luke Duncan, will be calling plays for the first time in a coaching career that started in 2017.
Neuheisel, a former UCLA quarterback and son of ex-Bruins quarterback and head coach Rick Neuheisel, has a pedigree that Skipper touted.
Neuheisel has just three days to put together a game plan for Saturday’s contest against seventh-ranked Penn State at the Rose Bowl.
“He’s another coach’s kid, he played quarterback, he’s coached receivers and he’s coached tight ends,” Skipper said, “so he has a full-rounded professional development for him to be a good playcaller and I am excited to watch him do his thing.
“I mean, it’s not like everything’s going great, right, so you have to adapt and overcome. So, a lot of advice (to Neuheisel) of, ‘Look, don’t do too much — you have to do what the guys need to know for this game and then we’ll move forward with the next game.’ So the main thing was just, ‘Hey, be yourself but don’t think you need to install a whole new playbook and all that stuff. Do what we need to do for this game and then we’ll move forward.’”
Tim Skipper press conference after practice (10/1)
Watch the full media availability below:
