Eric Bieniemy has a brand new job, and it’s a shocking one.
Bieniemy has been employed because the offensive coordinator at UCLA, it was reported on Saturday, in accordance with ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter. He’ll serve on the employees of former UCLA operating again DeShaun Foster, who was not too long ago employed as their new head coach.
This marks considerably of a return residence for Bieniemy.
Bieniemy grew up simply southeast of the Rose Bowl, the place the Bruins play their residence video games. The 54-year-old additionally served as a operating backs coach for UCLA from 2003 to 2005 earlier than leaping to the NFL.
What makes the touchdown spot for Bieniemy so shocking? It wasn’t that way back that he was receiving a number of requests to interview for NFL head-coaching jobs. He even grew to become the face of a motion the place he was incessantly cited for instance of perceived racial discrimination in terms of coach hiring practices within the NFL.
However after teaching with the Chiefs from 2013-2022, Bieniemy left to take the Washington Commanders OC job final yr. He was not retained — together with most of Ron Rivera’s employees — after the season.
Since he was obtainable, there was speak from some that Bieniemy may very well be a candidate to exchange Chip Kelly at UCLA. As a substitute, not solely is Bieniemy not remaining within the NFL, however he’s not dropping down to school for a head-coaching job; he’ll be the offensive coordinator on Foster’s employees.
It is a good rent for Foster, who will get somebody with years of NFL-level expertise to assist run the offense. It helps that Bieniemy is aware of Southern California and coached at UCLA 20 years in the past.
