Indiana
UCLA football hires Tino Sunseri as offensive coordinator: What to know
UCLA football coach DeShaun Foster has moved quickly to hire Tino Sunseri as its next offensive coordinator.
The Bruins moved on from Eric Bieniemy last week after one season as the program’s coordinator.
Sunseri spent this season as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Indiana.
He shared coordinating responsibilities with Mike Shanahan, who served as the primary playcaller for Curt Cignetti’s offense.
Sunseri was credited with being responsible for bringing Kurtis Rourke in from the transfer portal before the Hoosiers’ successful season.
“Tino Sunseri is a natural leader of young men and a rising star in coaching,” Foster said in a statement. “He puts his quarterbacks in positions to succeed and it shows when you look at their production. Players will feed off his passion for development and I can’t wait to have him in our building.”
Rourke completed 202 of 287 pass attempts for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
The Hoosiers averaged 43.3 points per game, which ranks second nationally in scoring offense. Rourke and Indiana lead all FBS programs with a team passing efficiency rating of 179.
Indiana will play at Notre Dame on Dec. 20 in a College Football Playoff opening-round game. Sunseri is expected to remain with the team throughout the playoff run.
Foster finished his first season as UCLA’s head coach with a 5-7 overall record, which includes a loss to Indiana at the Rose Bowl in September.
What roles will Tino Sunseri have at UCLA?
Sunseri was announced as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, meaning he will handle the duties divided between two individual coaches during the 2024 season.
Bieniemy served as the offensive coordinator while Ted White worked with the signal callers.
Who are some of the other notable coaches Tino Sunseri has worked with?
Sunseri worked under Jimbo Fisher at Florida State (2016-17), Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee (2018) and Nick Saban at Alabama (2019-20).
What is Tino Sunseri’s relationship with DeShaun Foster?
Tino’s father Sal Sunseri was the Carolina Panthers’ defensive line coach while Foster was the team’s running back. Tino would often go out to practice to spend time with his father in Carolina.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here and how much respect I have for coach Foster,” Sunseri said in a video posted by UCLA football on X. “The coolest thing about this is that me and coach Foster’s relationship goes back to a time when my dad was coaching with the Carolina Panthers and I wanted to be in the building as much as I could.”
Who else will join the UCLA offensive staff?
The Bruins will also have to hire an offensive line coach following Juan Castillo’s departure. He arrived with Bieniemy for the 2024 season.
Andy Kwon has reportedly been targeted by Foster and UCLA, according to Football Scoop’s John Brice. Kwon currently works at Arkansas State.