After a disappointing start to the season in which UCLA’s offense ranked among the worst in the nation, the Bruins and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri mutually parted ways Tuesday evening, a university official told The Times.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been publicly announced.
Sunseri becomes the second coordinator to depart in the wake of coach DeShaun Foster’s dismissal, after defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe left earlier this month in another mutual parting of ways.
Tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel will be the offensive playcaller when the Bruins (0-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) face No. 7 Penn State (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Plans are underway to finalize additional staff and it is anticipated that former UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will assume analyst responsibilities, pending completion of the appropriate university processes.
Sunseri’s hiring was hailed as a coup for the Bruins given that he was co-offensive coordinator last season at Indiana, which averaged 47.8 points on the way to reaching the College Football Playoff. But the Bruins’ offense has struggled mightily, averaging 14.2 points to rank No. 132 out of 134 major college teams. UCLA also averaged 321.2 yards per game, ranking No. 117 nationally.
The lack of offensive production has been a big reason why UCLA has fallen behind in every game, trailing 20-0 against Utah, 23-0 against Nevada Las Vegas, 14-0 against New Mexico and 17-0 against Northwestern.
Mazzone was UCLA’s offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2015, generating dynamic, high-scoring offenses under coach Jim Mora. Mazzone later served as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and Arizona before going on to serve in that same capacity for three teams in the United States Football League and United Football League.
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