UCLA Football: What the Hiring of Eric Bieniemy Means For DeShaun Foster
It's official: DeShaun Foster has made his first hire since taking over as Head Coach of the UCLA Bruins Football program.
Boy, was it a notable one.
According to reports from various outlets, the UCLA Bruins are slated to hire longtime NFL assistant coach Eric Bieniemy as the team's Offensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach. The agreement is said to be a two-year deal.
This is going to be a homecoming of sorts for Bieniemy. He grew up in Southern California -- attending Bishop Amat High School before going to college at the University of Colorado.
When Karl Dorrell got the UCLA head coaching job in the early 2000s, Bieniemy was brought on as the team's running backs coach/recruiting coordinator from 2003 to 05. He worked with the likes of Maurice Jones-Drew before eventually making his way to the NFL.
Bieniemy last coached in college at his alma mater under Jon Embree. He was CU's offensive coordinator from 2011-12 before leaving for the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, he's been in the NFL for the last decade.
On the surface, this is a very fascinating hire. There had been a narrative surrounding Bieniemy, revealing why he hadn't landed a head coaching job in the NFL.
Famously, he worked under Andy Reid in Kansas City for a decade. He was promoted from coaching the running backs to becoming the team's Offensive Coordinator. This coincided with the emergence of Patrick Mahomes.
During Bieniemy's first year as the team's offensive coordinator, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Mahomes was the Super Bowl MVP. The team had the best offense in the NFL, statistically speaking. In 2022, the Chiefs won yet another Super Bowl with Bieniemy as the team's play-caller.
While you'd think he'd stay in Kansas City for as long as possible, Bieniemy did leave for the Washington Commanders this past year. According to ESPN, he was given primary playcalling duties in Washington. This was reportedly not the case with the Chiefs.
Reid is an offensive-minded coach, and thus it makes sense that his fingerprints would be all over the offense. It's also feasible to assume that Bieniemy was ready to take what he learned from Reid and go out on his own without the safety net of the future Hall of Fame coach and the best player in the NFL.
Alas, despite the rocky one-year tenure with the Commanders, Bienemy is now with the Bruins.
Whether this hire ends up working out or not, there's no other way to put it: This was a big-time move by both the athletic department and Foster.
Bieniemy is a universally known name within football circles. He'll forever be attached to Mahomes and this Chiefs dynasty. Being able to land him at UCLA -- presumably when he had other opportunities elsewhere -- is a major deal.
Foster, a former running back himself, has zero head coaching experience. While Bieniemy was mostly a coordinator, he still should be able to aid Foster as a mentor-type figure as he takes the Bruins into the rigorous Big Ten.
Surely, there's a mutual respect between the two. Foster deserves a ton of credit for ultimately landing a guy who probably could be coaching at a higher level.
Remember, UCLA has been recently dragged through the mud courtesy of its former coach Chip Kelly. He actively sought employment elsewhere while still under contract with UCLA. The optics for that looked utterly horrible.
Conversely, the optics here are quite positive. Most people generally look at this hire as a very good thing for UCLA.
Bieniemy is said to have been a very good recruiter dating back to when he was a college coach more than a decade ago. The landscape has changed considerably from when he was in Boulder and Westwood previously.
With that said, considering the cachet he brings having mentored Mahomes, you'd think UCLA would have no issue landing high-level offensive talent -- especially at the quarterback spot.
As it currently stands, UCLA will bring back ten starters from last year's offense -- including quarterback Ethan Garbers, wide receiver J. Mike Sturdivant and running back TJ Harden. It's unknown as to what sort of offense Bieniemy plans on employing. We can assume it showcases some West Coast elements and perhaps some wrinkles he's learned along the way.
"This is a great opportunity for me to help support DeShaun as a head coach, to work with him and to work for him as well. My goal is to help him to be a successful head coach in our profession. It's an opportunity for my family and I to return back to a place that we once called home. My goal is to help generate some excitement for potential student-athletes to consider attending UCLA as we collectively prepare for the move to the Big Ten Conference in recruiting. I will continue my walk in my peace. I'm excited to be here and to coach these young men and football again. My expectations and desire to be excellent will never be turned down. I'm fired up. Let's go."
- Bieniemy in an email to ESPN analysts Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter
In the upcoming weeks, Foster will have to fill out the remainder of his coaching staff. We could very well see some movement on the offensive side of the ball. Bieniemy may want to bring in some guys he's familiar with. At the very least, this staff will have to be dedicated to recruiting at a high level, as well as seeking NIL funding.
Recent reports indicate that the Men of Westwood Collective, along with those at BruinReportOnline, have done a fantastic job in raising a considerable amount of money since Foster took the job.
With the increase in funds, mixed with the excitement over Bieniemy's hiring, Foster might have this program trending in the right direction for the first time seemingly in years.
