Eric Bieniemy's return to college football will be a short one, at least at UCLA.
The Bruins informed Bieniemy on Thursday he will not return for a second season as offensive coordinator, Yahoo's Ross Dellenger reported.
The UCLA post was Bieniemy's first since 2011-12, long before he rose to prominence as the non-play-calling offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl fixture Kansas City Chiefs from 2018-22.
Bieniemy left Kansas City for the Washington Commanders in order to bolster his head coaching chances as a play-calling coordinator, but that gamble did not pay off as the staff was fired following a 4-13 season, which led Bieniemy to UCLA.
UCLA finished 94th nationally in yards per play and 126th in scoring en route to a 5-7 season, its first in the Big Ten.
With Bieiniemy out, and due a $1.2 million buyout, CBS Sports reported UCLA is targeting Indiana co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri to run its offense. The son of longtime college assistant Sal Sunseri, Tino Sunseri played quarterback at Pitt and in the CFL before moving into coaching. He worked off-field at Florida State, Tennessee and Alabama before becoming James Madison's quarterbacks coach in 2021.
At Indiana, Sunseri's work with Kurtis Rourke has been a major reason why Indiana has been one of the biggest stories of the 2024 college football season. Another Power 4 staff who interviewed Sunseri told FootballScoop he was extremely impressive in the interview process.
Thamel adds that Sunseri will coach with Indiana through the College Football Playoff.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.