Eric Bieniemy joins UCLA coaching staff in key role

This transfer continues what has been a puzzling few years for Bieniemy on the subject of coaching alternatives. 

Thanks to his time as offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs he was constantly talked up as one of many rising star head coaching candidates in the NFL and routinely topped head coaching want lists. 

But he was constantly handed over for jobs, after which ended up leaving the Chiefs previous to the 2023 season for a lateral place in Washington the place he was the offensive coordinator of the Commanders. He lasted only one 12 months there and was let go when the Commanders introduced in a brand new coaching staff, together with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. 

With the NFL hiring cycle just about over, Bieniemy had restricted choices. So now he’s heading to the NCAA to work alongside first-year head coach DeShaun Foster. 

This won’t be Bieniemy’s first school coaching expertise, and even his first cease at UCLA. He was additionally this system’s working backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 2003-05. He was additionally the offensive coordinator on the University of Colorado throughout the 2011 and 2012 seasons earlier than becoming a member of the Chiefs. 

One of the massive questions that adopted Bieniemy when he was in Kansas City was how a lot of a hand he really had in the offense and the play calling, and the way a lot of it was the results of having Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and Andy Reid being the highest voice on the staff. 

The Commanders offense had blended outcomes underneath Bieniemy. First-year starter Sam Howell threw for 3,946 yards (twelfth in the NFL), however didn’t actually take a giant step ahead whereas the staff completed twenty fourth in complete yards and twenty fifth in complete factors.