Report: UCLA finalizing two-year deal to hire Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator

UCLA is set to hire Eric Bieniemy as its next associate head coach and offensive coordinator, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel reported. He just wrapped up his first season with the Washington Commanders and will now work under new Bruins coach Deshaun Foster.

Bieniemy previously worked at UCLA as running backs coach from 2003-05. He then headed to the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-10 before returning to the college ranks at his alma mater, Colorado, as offensive coordinator from 2011-12.

Andy Reid came calling in 2013, though, bringing Bieniemy to Kansas City as the Chiefs’ running backs coach and eventually promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2017. That gave him a chance to work hands-on with Patrick Mahomes and helped the Chiefs to two Super Bowl titles during his time with the franchise.

After Bieniemy’s lone season with Washington, the franchise – now under new ownership – opted to overhaul the coaching staff. That left him looking for what was next, and he told Schefter the opportunity to go back to UCLA stood out to him.

“Southern California,” Bieniemy said in an email. “I attended high school there. I started my career in the league here (with the Chargers). It’s obviously great to be back with the Bruins, where I was previously employed.”

Bieniemy didn’t call plays in Kansas City, but took over those duties as Ron Rivera’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. The Commanders had an up-and-down go in 2023 with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, finishing 25th in the NFL in scoring en route to a 4-13 overall record. That led the new owners to shake things up, and it opened the door for Bieniemy to return to the college ranks.

UCLA recently announced Foster as its next head coach, replacing Chip Kelly after he left to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Foster was previously the Bruins’ running backs coach and briefly took over the same role with the Las Vegas Raiders before returning to Brentwood.

Last season, UCLA went 8-5 overall and 4-5 in Pac-12 play with Kelly calling the offense. The Bruins ranked fifth in the Pac-12 with 427.1 total yards per game and ninth with 26.5 points on average. Now, they’re preparing to make the move to the Big Ten after a groundbreaking round of conference realignment, and Eric Bieniemy will help provide a new look on the offensive side of the ball as they do.