This post was updated April 3 at 11:57 p.m.

Eric Bieniemy’s hiring as the Bruins’ offensive coordinator in 2024 brought unprecedented hope for what the two-time Super Bowl champion could bring to Westwood.

But after a 5-7 season and an offense that ranked 47th in the nation in passing offense and 131st in rushing offense, the team needed change.

And change it did.

Bieniemy and offensive line coach Juan Castillo exited Westwood shortly after the closure of the 2024 season, and in came Tino Sunseri and Andy Kwon to replace the respective offensive coaches.

Prior to joining UCLA football, Sunseri served as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Indiana – which made the College Football Playoff this past season – spearheading a Hoosier offense that raised more than 100 yards from 2023 to 2024.

He also helmed an offense that led the Football Bowl Subdivision with a 179.1 passing efficiency. Sunseri has built a reputation for molding quarterbacks, most notably helping Hoosier signal-caller Kurtis Rourke to a breakout campaign where he threw for 2,827 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Sunseri’s work was seen when the Hoosiers trounced the Bruins 42-13 on Sept. 14. Rourke torched the otherwise staunch Bruin defense for 307 passing yards and four touchdowns.

“I just like his energy. … He’s fiery, … expects a lot out of his players,” coach DeShaun Foster said about Sunseri before the first day of spring practice April 1 at Spaulding Field. “He’s an ex-player himself. He’s been around ball for a long time. I have known Tino since he was a little kid, and I’m just excited to see what he does with our offense.”

Meanwhile, Kwon moved to Westwood on Dec. 19 after three seasons at Arkansas State, where he revitalized the team’s offensive trench to help the Red Wolves average more than 150 rushing yards per game over the last two seasons. Under his tutelage, two Arkansas State linemen earned All-Sun Belt recognitions.

Kwon has inherited an offensive line that ranked 112th in the nation in sacks allowed, with the trenches giving up 2.83 per game, including five against LSU on Sep. 21 and six against Washington on Nov. 15.

And even in his short time in Westwood, Kwon has made his mark.

“Working with Coach Kwon has been awesome. He’s a little bit younger, so he’s ambitious and he’s pushing us really hard, which I appreciate, and he’s making sure we’re getting as many reps as possible,” said redshirt junior offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio. “He just wants the guys to be at their best potential. He’s definitely a player coach, and he’s building really good connections with us as players.”

The influx of new coaches accompanied the welcoming of 20 transfers in the offseason.

Twenty-two players left Westwood after last season while 20 entered – most notably former Appalachian State quarterback Joey Aguilar, who should be taking the mantle as the Bruins’ starting signal-caller, Foster said.

Aguilar threw for more than 3,000 passing yards in each of his seasons as a Mountaineer, tossing for a combined 56 passing touchdowns. He also rushed for five total touchdowns and 456 yards.

“He’s an experienced quarterback that’s played a lot of football,” Foster said. “I’m just excited to see him take command of the team and let’s go, let’s take it on. He was doing a good job when we were doing our walk-throughs and our player-led stuff, but now it’s time to really play ball.”

While the Bruins shored up their offensive skill groups and beefed up their offensive line, they equally made their presence felt on the defensive side of the ball. UCLA brought in eight defensive backs, a defensive lineman and a linebacker through the transfer portal, including linebacker Isaiah Chisom.

Chisom totaled 75 tackles and one forced fumble last season for Oregon State. The 2024 Athletic’s Midseason Freshman All-American will join a depleted linebacker room after the departure of former Bruin linebackers Kain Medrano, Carson Schwesinger and Oluwafemi Oladejo.

UCLA was a return to familiar grounds for Chisom – the 6-foot-1 freshman was born in Palmdale, California – one of many athletes using the transfer portal to find their way back home.

“Growing up in Palmdale, it’s like who doesn’t want to come to UCLA? It’s historic,” Chisom said. “It was always a school that I wanted to be able to come back to, and I was just blessed with the opportunity to be able to come back home, play in front of California again and have all my family be able to come to the games.”