Sunseri: Move to UCLA a 'Godsend' For Many Reasons

Tino Sunseri's move to UCLA didn't only impact him as a coach.

Indiana University Quarterbacks Coach Tino Sunseri instucts players during fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

On the surface, Tino Sunseri's new gig as UCLA's offensive coordinator is a dream come true. But to him, being able to move to Los Angeles means much more to him than football.

"It's been absolutely amazing," Sunseri said in a sit-down interview with Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth during B1G Network's behind-the-scenes of UCLA's training camp. "Whenever we came out here, one of the biggest things is, and I always tell everybody that I'm around, 'It's never the place that you go to, it's the people that you surround yourself with that make a place special.'

"And there's a lot of special people here at UCLA. From being able to be inside the university to being able to be around Los Angeles, the people are special. ... Something that was a little bit more dear to me is that my son was born with cleft lip. It was something that was a little bit shocking to us at first. And we got really educated, really fast.

Indiana University Quarterbacks Coach Tino Sunseri during fall practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion at Indiana University on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

"As we came out here, it was almost [a] Godsend. We have one of the best specialists in the country here at UCLA, so me and my wife have been in the best care we can possibly be in and they've taken unbelievable care of us. So, it's been able to allow me to be able to come into work, and allow her to feel comfortable with being able to know our boy's going to be safe and taken care of."

Much of what happens off the field translates to how successful Sunseri will be on the field, and that's proven to be true through three weeks of training camp.

Sunseri Receives Praise for Hands-On Approach

Second-year Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster can't help but praise Sunseri. Foster, a former running back, and Sunseri, a former quarterback, are a perfect match to lift UCLA's revamped offense.

"He just does a good job with the quarterbacks," Foster said during Wednesday's media availability. "He's fiery. He holds them to a standard and he's not budging. I love everything that Tino's bringing to the offense and the guys are responding to it."

The Bruins' offense is going through a lot of changes. Not only personnel-wise, after adding key transfers like Nico Iamaleava under center and Jaivian Thomas in the backfield, but also schematically. UCLA is pivoting into an "everything" offense under Sunseri, and Foster thinks they are coming along well through two weeks of fall camp.

"We're in a good place," Foster said of the offense. "They're taking strides and people are playing multiple positions at each level. So, the outside guys are playing multiple positions, receivers and tight ends are doing the same, and running backs. And it's all coming together."

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