USC coaching rumors: Top NFL OC expected to emerge as candidate
By Jake Rill
Published:
It could finally be Eric Bieniemy’s time to become a head coach. And to do so, he may return to his roots.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bieniemy is expected to emerge as a candidate for USC’s opening at head coach. The current Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator attended Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, Calif., which is also in the Los Angeles area.
Bieniemy has been an assistant for the Chiefs since 2013, first serving as the running backs coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018. During that time, he’s led Kansas City to tremendous offensive success, which included winning Super Bowl LIV at the end of the 2019 season.
However, Bieniemy hasn’t yet landed an NFL head-coaching job. Schefter reported that Bieniemy “has told confidantes in the past” that USC is among the few college head-coaching opportunities that may interest him.
Bieniemy has ties to some current Pac-12 schools. He played running back at Colorado from 1987-90, which included being named an All-American and a Heisman Trophy finalist as a senior. He then went on to play 9 seasons in the NFL.
Bieniemy also served as an assistant for the Buffaloes over 2 stints. His first coaching job came as Colorado’s running backs coach, a role he had from 2001-02, and he later returned to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2011-12.
From 2003-05, Bieniemy was the running backs coach at UCLA. He also had a stint as the RBs coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-10.
USC’s head-coaching gig opened when the school decided to fire Clay Helton on Monday. The Trojans are currently 1-1 after losing to Stanford this past Saturday.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
