UCLA Football: Super Bowl Champ Associate Coach Already Impressing DeShaun Foster
First-year UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster is impressed by the approach of his new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, a two-time Super Bowl champ on Andy Reid's staff with the Kansas City Chiefs, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.
Bieniemy, a former Colorado Buffaloes running back, played from 1991-99 in the NFL with the then-San Diego Chargers, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He then returned to his alma mater to serve as a running backs coach, before taking that same position with UCLA from 2003-04. He took on recruiting coordinator duties in addition to his running back coach obligations.
“We should be communicating with each other!” Bieniemy was overheard barking at his charges in a Tuesday practice.
Bieniemy is in the midst of setting up a fresh West Coast offense with the Bruins. Foster raved about his energetic approach to coaching.
“My first pillar is discipline, and you’re going to hear that out here,” Foster noted. “I’m excited about that. He’s getting the guys going, holding them to a standard that they want to be held to. And I think that’s going to help us get to where we want to go.”
It's going to be an exciting 2024 season for UCLA in the fall. Though the team's recruiting class wasn't particularly well-regarded among its Big Ten peers, the Bruins will be bringing back many of their top contributors from a solid 8-5 run in that saw them win the LA Bowl, 35-22, against Boise State. The fulcrum of their defense may be gone in departing defensive lineman Laiatu Latu, a likely first round NFL draft pick. But there is still plenty of talent on this team.
