According to Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter of ESPN, Bieniemy and UCLA are “finalizing a two-year deal” for him to return to college football. Bieniemy has previous coaching experience in the soon-to-be broken up Pac-12 Conference. 

READ: Judge grants injunction in Tennessee lawsuit, prohibiting NCAA from enforcing NIL rules 

Bieniemy will be part of a new UCLA coaching staff including head coach DeShaun Foster, who succeeds Chip Kelly who departed for the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State. 

Bieniemy will bring plenty of NFL coaching experience with him to UCLA, too. He worked as Commanders offensive coordinator last season after five years with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The New Orleans native’s first coaching job came at his alma mater Colorado, coaching running backs from 2001-02. He then coached at UCLA in the same role from 2003-05. 

READ: ‘I’m in the game’: CFB players share their participation in upcoming EA Sports ‘College Football 25’ 

Bieniemy’s first jump to the NFL came in 2006 when he became running backs coach with the Minnesota Vikings. There, he coached future rushing leader Adrian Peterson and earned a promotion to assistant head coach in 2010. 

Bieniemy returned to college and was offensive coordinator at Colorado from 2011-12. He then took his first job with the Chiefs as running backs coach from 2013-17. 

The post Reports: UCLA hires Eric Bieniemy as associate head coach, offensive coordinator  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Foster will succeed Chip Kelly, who was hired to be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator on Friday night.

Foster, a 2022 Broyles Award nominee, has over a decade of college coaching experience.

READ: Full List: Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers college football alumni in Super Bowl LVIII

“This is a dream come true,” Foster stated in a release. “I always envisioned being a Bruin ever since I was young, and now being the head coach at my alma mater is such a surreal feeling, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. The foundation of this program will be built on discipline, respect and enthusiasm. These are phenomenal young men, and I’m excited to hit the ground running.”

Foster played four seasons at UCLA from 1998-2001 earning All-American honors in 2001 after leading the then-Pac-10 Conference with 138.6 rushing yards per game. He finished his Bruins career second with 44 touchdowns score and third with 3,194 rushing yards.

Foster started his coaching career as a student assistant at UCLA from 2012-13 before becoming a graduate assistant in 2014.

He spent one more year at UCLA as Director of Player Development and High School Relations in 2015, then became running backs coach at Texas Tech.

READ: Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Leaving for the NFL

After the 2016 season with the Red Raiders, Foster returned to UCLA as running backs coach serving in the role from 2017-22. He earned a promotion to associate head coach prior to the 2023 season.

Foster was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hal of Fame in 2022.

”While undergoing a comprehensive search for our new head coach, DeShaun resonated from the start and throughout the whole process,” UCLA athletics director Martin Jarmond stated in a release. “We are looking for a coach with integrity, energy and passion; someone who is a great teacher, who develops young men, is a great recruiter and fully embraces the NIL landscape to help our student-athletes. DeShaun checks all of those boxes and then some. He is a leader of men and a true Bruin. I am excited to partner with him as we usher UCLA Football into an exciting new era.”

The post UCLA names DeShaun Foster next head coach appeared first on Saturday Glory.

The Buckeyes moved quickly after Bill O’Brien’s brief tenure at Ohio State ended once he took the head coaching spot at Boston College.

READ: Tennessee lands in-state wide receiver Joakim Dodson

“I want to sincerely thank Chip for his service to UCLA Football and our student-athletes across the past six seasons and wish the best to him and his wife Jill moving forward,” UCLA athletics director Martin Jarmond stated in a release.

Now, UCLA has started “a national search” for its next head coach, according to a release.

“It is imperative that we support our student-athletes and put them in the best position to succeed,” Jarmond stated. “UCLA is a special place, and we are confident we will find a leader for our football program who develops young men on and off the field and embodies our True Bruin Values.”

READ: Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Leaving for the NFL

Kelly arrives at Ohio State with a long history alongside Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. The two spent time together when Day was quarterback at New Hampshire and Kelly was offensive coordinator, then the duo coached together in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and San Francisco 49ers in 2016.

Day stated the Buckeyes are “extremely excited” for Kelly’s arrival, according to Tony Gerdeman of Buckeye Huddle.

“We are extremely excited to have Chip and his wife, Jill, joining our program,” Day stated via Gerdeman. “His experience as a head coach at Oregon, UCLA and in the NFL will bring immediate value to our entire team. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with Chip, introducing him to our staff and team and chasing a championship together. I would also like to wish coach Bill O’Brien and his family well as he takes over at Boston College.”

Now, Day and Kelly will coach together at Ohio State where the former has been head coach for the past five seasons.

Kelly will bring to the Buckeyes a wealth of football knowledge he’s accumulated from over 30 years of coaching. He has been head coach at both the college and NFL levels.

Kelly’s first head coaching job came at Oregon from 2009-12. There, he earned the first of back-to-back Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year honors in his first season after leading the Ducks to a 10-3 record and Rose Bowl appearance in 2009.

READ: Reports: Michigan to hire Wink Martindale as DC

Before Kelly got to Oregon, he spent the previous 13 years at New Hampshire which is his alma mater.

After four seasons with the Ducks, Kelly made the jump to head coach of the Eagles in 2013. He’d spend three years there before becoming head coach of the 49ers where he and Day coaching quarterbacks.

Kelly was named Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year upon leading the Eagles to an NFC East Division championship in 2013, becoming the second head coach in league history to win a division title in his first NFL season.

Kelly first started his coaching career at Columbia University in 1990 when he coached defensive backs and special teams. Among his additional stops early in his career came at New Hampshire as running backs coach in 1992 and as defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins in 1993.

The post Ohio State hires Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Unlike O’Brien, Grubb won’t be staying in the college ranks as he is reportedly accepting a position with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League to be their offensive coordinator.

Grubb had followed new Alabama head coach Kalen Deboer from the University of Washington and the move to a similar role, albeit in a higher level of the sport, was seen as a major surprise.

The surprise move capped off a bizarre day across the college football landscape. After O’Brien abruptly left Ohio State, the Buckeyes immediately replaced him with UCLA head coach Chip Kelly in a surprising move down the coaching and financial ladder for the long-time spread offense guru.

College Football, folks.

The post Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb Leaving for the NFL appeared first on Saturday Glory.

No. 1 Georgia stands atop the college football world with the longest active winning streak of 23 games. Fresno State, which had a winning streak of 13 games, lost its first one to Wyoming last Saturday.

PODCAST: Kirby Smart is Right for Not Caring

Alongside the Bulldogs are No. 2 Michigan, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 10 USC and No. 14 Louisville. The Cardinals picked up a signature win over Notre Dame, dropping the Fighting Irish to 5-2 having lost two of their past three. 

Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 6 to Week 7. 

Cristobal on Miami’s kneel down mistake to Georgia Tech 

Then-No. 17 Miami led 20-17 going into the final minute against the Yellow Jackets, and had enough of an advantage where a kneel down would’ve sealed the game and the win. 

But Miami didn’t take the option to kneel the clock out. Instead, running back Donald Chaney Jr. was handed the football eight-consecutive times, and on the final one, disaster struck. 

Chaney fumbled the football at Georgia Tech’s 26-yard line and the Yellow Jackets recovered the ball. Facing a long way to go, they fired off completions of 30 and 44 yards to move all the way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. 

“We had our opportunities, even though we didn’t play well,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Obviously we could have coached better, could have made a better decision. All those things were on the table and we just didn’t do it, and Saturday is going to be here in a hurry against an excellent football team, and we got to go on the road and we got to get it done so very simple.” 

Chip Kelly on UCLA’s big win over No. 13 Washington State 

The Bruins also picked up an upset win over the Cougars, handing them their first loss of the season. 

PODCAST: Talking winners, top teams and much more after week six

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is notorious for his offensive schemes, but the Bruins defense stepped up to the plate last Saturday. 

Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn was faced with the challenge of stopping a Cougars offensive spearheaded by quarterback Cam Ward. Ward had passed for more than 300 yards three times and topped 400 twice already in the season. 

UCLA did enough of a job to nullify Washington State’s passing game and held Ward to a season-low 197 passing yards. The Bruins also forced a pair of interceptions. 

Kelly said the defensive staff led by Lynn “did an outstanding job in that whole group.” 

“I think our entire defensive staff led by him, did an unbelievable job because that was the No. 2 ranked passing offense in the country, and to hold them to that and not allow them really to rush it was outstanding when really we gave them one score on the offensive side of the ball so but besides that they were phenomenal,” Kelly said. “So the whole coaching staff and players were outstanding on the defensive side.” 

Miley Cyrus’ name drops in Smart’s postgame press conference 

While the Bulldogs raced away to their sixth win of the season behind a 51-13 performance against No. 20 Kentucky, head coach Kirby Smart was faced with a wrecking ball reference postgame. 

A wrecking ball analogy compared Georgia’s performance to one as such, and the Bulldogs do have the No. 8 total offense behind an average of 502.3 yards per game. 

READ: Stat Pack: Week 6

That’s a stout offensive output. Georgia also has the No. 10 scoring offense averaging 40.7 points each time they take the field. 

In jest, Smart took the postgame wrecking ball reference and ran with it. 

“I don’t know who Miley Cyrus is, like, what does she have to do with a wrecking ball?” Smart said. “I know Eric Chruch ‘Wrecking Ball,’” 

The post Quotables: Week 6  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

There are four ranked matchups this week, headlined by the Red River Rivalry between No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas in Dallas. 

PODCAST: 5 Questions Florida Needs to Answer After Loss to Kentucky

No. 1 Georgia will also look to go 6-0 and clinch bowl eligibility against No. 20 Kentucky, which is riding hot off a Top 25 upset of then-No. 22 Florida thanks to a 280-yard rushing performance by running back Ray Davis. 

Here are several games to watch this Saturday. 

No. 12 Oklahoma at No. 3 Texas  

The Red River Rivalry, in Dallas. 

The biggest stage between some of the biggest programs in all of college football is set to host Oklahoma and Texas at noon on ABC. 

“As far as this game, Red River Rivalry, that’s why we’re in college football, right, to be part be part of games like this,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Two undefeated teams, two top-25 teams. The spotlight of college football will be on us. I think that the beauty for us this will be our third top-25 matchup now in six games, and every team we’ve played has got a winning record and is doing good things. So I think that we’ve been exposed to some high level football now through five weeks and naturally we understand the emotions that will come with this game and different things. I think it’s critical for us that we have a great week of preparation, that we take it one day at a time and then we go in with the mindset to execute on Saturday.” 

The Longhorns have already claimed ranked wins at Alabama and against Kansas, and they’ll have another shot to earn a Top 25 victory once again. 

Both Oklahoma and Texas will meet one more time before the two jump from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference beginning next year. 

READ: Big Board: Week 6

The Sooners rank ahead of Texas in total offense, averaging 510 yards per game, and the Longhorns are atop the Big 12 in total defense just ahead of Oklahoma at No. 2. 

The quarterback matchup between Quinn Ewers of Texas and Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel should be a fun one. Both gunslingers have over 1,358 passing yards. 

“Going to be again, a wonderful environment against a really talented, hot Texas team that play on paper and on film they play their best when they’re playing really good people,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said. “Texas has always risen to the occasion and done so but coming off a really good, strong game last week against Kansas where they had almost 700 yards of offense and really were unstoppable. And they’ve been outstanding in all the areas you peel it back whether that’s rush defense or pass defense or scoring defense or red zone defense. If that’s offensively how efficient that they’ve been. They’ve got incredible weapons at the skill position. They lost some great backs last year and they’ve obviously shown they’ve really recruited well. (Jonathon) Brooks is one of a number of their backs that is running really, really well. (Xavier) Worthy, (Adonai) Mitchell, (Ja’Tavion) Sanders, amongst others are just some really incredibly talented players. Ewers was a true freshman last year, played pretty dang good and he’s playing at a really high level. Obviously against Alabama in Tuscaloosa (he) threw for just south of 350 yards and that was the National Player of the Week. So again, we got a great, great challenge. They’re spearheaded on defense by Jaylan Ford who is as good of a linebacker that’s out there in college football, and special teams have been really strong for them. But again, I like where we’re at as well. I want to see where we’re at. If you want to continue to improve and create change, we’re certainly not where we want to be by in any way shape or form, that doesn’t mean that you’re not thankful for your players and your coaches and the hard work that guys have put in and the success that we’ve had you got to celebrate.” 

No. 13 Washington State at UCLA  

Both Washington State and UCLA are coming off bye weeks, and they’ll meet in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. 

Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said he’s familiar with Chip Kelly’s style of offense. Though, Dickert also said he has “not seen a bigger, longer defense” than UCLA’s “in a long time.”

READ: Quotables: Week 5

“These guys are long and have great length and they’re attacking, and they’re playing tremendously on that side of the ball,” Dickert said. “I mean, it is impressive to watch their physicality, the (Laiatu) Latu kid is a problem. Most people have him in the top half of the first round. And then 53 when the Hawaii contingent was here, they used to talk about this kid. He is physical, he is downhill, he is aggressive. So I think they’re playing with supreme confidence on that side of the ball and it’s showing as one of the best defenses in our league so it presents a big challenge, especially up front and how much they want to blitz. 

Washington State has generated the No. 4 total offense in the Pac-12, averaging 533.8 yards per game. 

In the Cougars’ most recent game, their quarterback Cam Ward threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns. 

Offense has helped lead Washington State to its first 4-0 start since 2017, and Dickert expects this one to come down to a defensive battle. 

“They got a great receiver on the outside, and very unique schemes” Dickert said. “I mean, very unique schemes and week to week changes quite a bit, and I think it’s well documented how hard it is to go down in L.A. and win.” 

No. 2 Michigan at Minnesota  

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has found a rhythm to begin the 2023 season. 

He is No. 5 among passers with a 191.64 passing efficiency rating, and McCarthy is No. 3 behind a 79% completion. 

PODCAST: What we learned coming out of week five

McCarthy’s favorite target is far and away receiver Roman Wilson, who has caught eight of McCarthy’s 10 touchdown passes. 

The Wolverines got out to their 5-0 start without their head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games. Since his return in Week 4, Michigan has outscored its two opponents 76-14 allowing two touchdowns. 

Harbaugh said he sees another good defense on the Wolverines’ hands, and the Golden Gophers rank in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in scoring and total defense. 

“Another really good defense, really stout,” Harbaugh said. “The quarterback has really come along, and they have a tremendous ability to run the ball. Physical team that is going to be, I mean, I love how they play. It’s an emotional, fired up type of team. P.J. (Fleck) does a great job. I mean, you can always tell they’re confident no matter what, no matter what the stakes are, the odds are, you just see it in the way they play. They play hard. It’s all you can ever ask for as a coach from your players is that they play hard. Our guys are doing it. Minnesota’s guys are. It’ll be a football fight like it is every Saturday, and we got to play good.” 

The post Preview Thursday: Week 6 appeared first on Saturday Glory.

That’s the subject of today’s The Daily Huddle.

We broke our coaches down into three groups:
-Coaches who have fallen on hard times
-Coaches who can change the narrative
-Coaches who can prove their worth

Find out who got put in what category by watching today’s show here:

The post These 8 Coaches Can Change How They’re Viewed This Weekend appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders asked reporters after the Buffaloes’ 45-42 win over then-No. 17 TCU on Saturday and reminded them that he has receipts from doubters. 

The belief is strong in Boulder. The belief in college football is just as strong as nearly every team was in action to get the season underway. 

Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 1 to Week 2. 

Chip Kelly, UCLA 

The new clock rules are taking some time to adjust for everybody. 

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly had some thoughts on the new clock rules, which allow for the clock to continue running after first downs this season. 

“This new rule is, it’s crazy,” Kelly said. “We had four drives in the first half. This game goes fast. Hope you guys are selling a lot of commercials.” 

The Bruins totaled 238 yards on their only four drives of the first half. Coastal Carolina had as many drives through the first four quarters as well, and both teams had seven drives in the second half. 

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan 

Harbaugh spent his season-opener at the home of offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore as he served the first of a self-imposed three-game suspension to start the season. 

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Wolverines got the job done and tipped their caps in ode to Harbaugh early in the game against East Carolina. McCarthy threw 280 yards and three touchdowns while Michigan had 402 yards of offense and held the Pirates to 235. 

Harbaugh won’t return to the sidelines this week, and when asked about the responsibilities of a head coach during a game, he introduced a new version of both offense and defense.  

“Be the guardian of victory is probably the No. 1 job you have,” Harbaugh said. “Making sure that the decisions you’re making are complimentary on all three phases. There’s no offense, there’s no defense. It’s a we-fense. And making sure that putting the players in the position to have their hard work achieved.” 

Mike Norvell, Florida State 

The Seminoles claimed the first top-10 victory of the season in a showdown against then-No. 5 LSU on Sunday night. 

Head coach Mike Norvell and quarterback Jordan Travis made an early statement in their 45-24 win over the Tigers. Florida State won in its fourth top-10 season-opener and remained unbeaten in Orlando. 

Norvell said Sunday’s game had “a championship-type feel to it,” and Travis was among the leading Seminoles. Travis threw for 342 yards and four touchdowns against fellow Heisman Trophy hopeful Jayden Daniels, who finished with 347 passing yards and two touchdowns. 

“That was one game. That was our first step, and it was a big step, right?” Norvell said. “You get a chance to be on this stage, you want to go play well. And I don’t think we played our best game, but I thought that second half we were able to really finish the way that we wanted to, and I’m just, I’m proud of them for the way that they continued to battle the way, they showed their resilience, and just who they are.” 

The post Quotables: Week 1 appeared first on Saturday Glory.