Sports
UCLA to hire Indiana's Tino Sunseri, replacing offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy
Eric Bieniemy received a hero’s welcome upon his arrival in March, co-workers lining the hallway inside UCLA’s practice facility to serenade him with applause.
The new offensive coordinator removed one of his Super Bowl rings so that DeShaun Foster, his new boss, could inspect it.
“It’s time,” Bienemy said that day, referring to his plans to do big things. “It’s time.”
Nine months later, after a season in which the Bruins’ offense ranked as one of the worst in the nation and several top players regressed from their previous form, Bieniemy’s boss decided it was time to move on.
UCLA has parted ways with associate head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
(Joseph Reedy / Associated Press)
In a development that showed both an admission of making the wrong hire and a willingness to quickly pivot, Foster severed ties with Bieniemy on Thursday after their one season together produced across-the-board struggles on offense.
Foster secured an intriguing replacement, agreeing to hire Indiana quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri after the end of the Hoosiers’ season, according to one person close to the situation not authorized to publicly divulge the information because the move has not been made official.
Sunseri, who will turn 36 later this month, was one of the architects of an Indiana offense that’s been among the best in the country, averaging 43.3 points per game while vaulting the Hoosiers toward an expected appearance in the College Football Playoff.
UCLA averaged less than half that figure under Bieniemy. The Bruins ranked No. 117 in the country in total offense (328.8 yards per game), No. 126 in scoring offense (18.4 points per game) and No. 130 in rushing offense (86.6 yards per game). The Bruins’ inability to run the ball was especially maddening given that both Foster and Bieniemy had success as running backs in the NFL.
Several top players entered the transfer portal after the team’s final game last weekend, including quarterback Justyn Martin, running back TJ Harden and slot receiver Logan Loya. The Bruins also lost high school recruits Madden Iamaleava and Jace Brown on Wednesday when they signed with Arkansas amid rumors of Bieniemy’s dismissal.
Bieniemy’s agent, Jason Fletcher, labeled Bieniemy’s departure as a mutual parting of the ways in a statement, saying the former offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders was still being paid by the NFL team and was assisting Foster for one season before making a planned return to the NFL in 2025.
But that statement doesn’t jibe with the terms of a two-year contract that included a $550,000 in retention bonuses if Bieniemy remained on the job through the end of July. It also doesn’t hold up given that Bieniemy recruited for the Bruins and did not have a new job to announce at the time of his departure Bieniemy was set to receive a $180,000 hiring bonus on Saturday.
After flaming out in his one season with the Commanders, Bieniemy, 55, was bombastic in his return to UCLA after having previously served as the running backs coach under Karl Dorrell. He routinely unleashed a flurry of expletives and biting one-liners that carried across the practice field. Players said Bieniemy’s plays were wordy and hard to learn, and the results reflected those struggles.
Veteran quarterback Ethan Garbers and Harden both failed to replicate their production from the previous year under coach Chip Kelly, who also ran the team’s offense.
Bieniemy was also pivotal in the hiring of offensive line coach Juan Castillo after they had worked together with the Commanders. UCLA’s offensive line was one of the team’s most underperforming position groups last season, allowing 34 sacks and failing to open enough holes for the running backs.
Bieniemy’s UCLA offense never remotely resembled the ones he helped construct with the Kansas City Chiefs while winning Super Bowls in 2020 and 2023.
Foster is expected to make other changes to his staff, including the addition of Demetrice Martin to help coach the secondary. His biggest move may be bidding farewell to the offensive coordinator who didn’t live up to the hype.
Sports
Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
Sports
Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Sports
WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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