Eric Bieniemy returning to college football, set to become UCLA’s OC

After spending one season with the Washington Commanders as the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach to Ron Rivera, Bieniemy is finalizing a two-year deal to serve in the same roles at UCLA, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel reported Saturday.

Bieniemy will serve as an associate head coach and offensive coordinator under new UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster, who was elevated to head coach last week after Chip Kelly left to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Bieniemy previously served as a running backs coach at UCLA from 2003-2005.

‘Southern California. 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 wrote in an email obtained by ESPN. ‘It’s an opportunity for my family and I to return back to a place that we once called home.’

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Bieniemy said he interviewed with other teams before ultimately landing at UCLA, although he did not disclose which teams and positions he interviewed for.

‘I have had countless conversations and interviews with many teams and I have been applauded and lauded. I can’t say why certain decisions were or were not made but it had nothing to (do) with a lack of anything on my end,’ Bieniemy continued. ‘My self-dignity, worth, integrity, personhood, manhood will never be questioned or compromised. It is not always about money, either. With everything in life, it is often all about timing.

‘At this time in my life, the opportunity affords me the pleasure of continuing to be a maker and leader of men, to do what I love, follow my passion and my dreams while not compromising on who I am as a man.’

Bieniemy was a running back at the University of Colorado from 1987–1990. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL Draft and also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles during his nine-year NFL career. Bieniemy started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver (2000), before serving as a running backs coach at Colorado (2001-2002) and UCLA (2003-2005).

He served as the Minnesota Vikings’ running backs coach from 2006-2010 and was elevated to assistant head coach in 2010. He returned to Colorado as an offensive coordinator from 2011-2012, before accepting a role with the Kansas City Chiefs as running back coach in 2013. Bieniemy was elevated to the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator role in 2018 and won two Super Bowls (2019, 2022) in Kansas City.

Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator in Washington this past season under Rivera. Rivera was fired following the completion of the 2023 season and was replaced by Dan Quinn.

‘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,’ Bieniemy wrote in the email obtained by ESPN.