UCLA hires Bieniemy as OC and associate head coach.
UCLA has hired Eric Bieniemy, the former offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders and the Kansas City Chiefs, as its new offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, according to Garrett Podell of CBS Sports.
According to Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Bruins and Bieniemy are close to concluding a two-year deal.
Bieniemy joined the Commanders for the 2023 season following 10 years with the Chiefs, the last five as offensive coordinator. In addition, he served as Colorado’s offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2012.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to support DeShaun as a new head coach, to collaborate with him and for him,” Bieniemy told CBS’ Josina Anderson and Podell.
“I chose to fly under the radar during this hiring process, and my experience generated a lot of interest from a number of NFL teams prior to coming to this decision.”
According to Thamel and Schefter, Bieniemy interviewed for the Commanders’ head coaching position as well as two other NFL offensive coordinator roles before to joining UCLA.
The 54-year-old claimed he chose to leave Washington and was not dismissed, despite rumors.
“I have no regrets with the Commanders,” Bieniemy informed Thamel and Schefter. “Contrary to popular belief and media reports, I was not dismissed. I truly chose not to stay. I learned a lot, which is always a positive thing.
Last season, Washington’s offense ranked 25th in points per game and 24th in yards per match under Bieniemy.
Bieniemy also mentioned that some coaches had been able to return to college after leaving the NFL. He pointed out that Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh, Bill O’Brien, and Kliff Kingsbury all took similar paths.
The California native returns to UCLA, where he was the running backs coach for three seasons between 2003 and 2005. He’s thrilled to be coaching again for
“Southern California, I went to high school there,” Bieniemy remarked. “I started my league career here (with the Chargers). It’s certainly nice to be back with the Bruins, where I previously worked.
After former bench manager Chip Kelly left to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State, UCLA selected DeShaun Foster as its new head coach.
The Bruins will make their Big Ten debut in 2024. Kelly led them to a 35-34 record over six seasons.
