Tino Sunseri and the UCLA Bruins football program have mutually agreed to part ways four games into the season according to multiple reports.
Tino Sunseri is out as UCLA’s offensive coordinator, source confirms to ESPN. Jerry Neuheisel will take over as the program’s offensive play caller. LA Times first reported the change.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 1, 2025
Indiana’s quarterbacks coach and offensive game plan coordinator last season was in his first season as offensive coordinator for UCLA after coming over from Indiana under head coach Curt Cignetti.
UCLA's offense has been a mess to say the least this season, the Bruins rank just No. 119 in total offense and No. 134 in scoring offense through week five with an 0-4 record. The move comes as part of continuing overhual in Los Angeles. UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster and defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe two weeks ago, naming linebacker coach Tim Skipper as interim head coach.
Sunseri spent most of spring practice working with transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar, but then transitioned as UCLA added Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava in a dramatic saga. Nico Iamaleava who has started the team's first four games, has 788 passing yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions and leads the team with 204 rushing yards.
""The winless Bruins have reached 20 points just once in their first four games.""
The former Pittsburgh quarterback went un-drafted in 2013 before in the CFL for a few seasons. He joined the Florida State staff as a graduate assistant to begin his coaching career as a qualty control assistant, and spent two season in Tallahassee, followed by a season in the same role at Tennessee.
In 2019, he joined Nick Saban at Alabama as a graduate assistant for two seasons before taking his talents to James Madison under Curt Cignetti in 2021.
Sunseri had success at James Madison and Indiana under OC Mike Shanahan and head coach Curt Cignetti and at only 36 years of age he is still one of the hottest names in the coaching pull and will get another chance to redeem himself as a coordinator next season.
When Sunseri was hired this is the statement he released in March:
"It's awesome, I can't thank him [Foster] enough for the opportunity," Sunseri said. "I love him as a person, I think that he's everything that this university needs of being able to drive this thing to the right place because of his background of being at UCLA, being a Bruin, and loving what this place is about. I feel like with us and the trajectory that we're going, it's been a lot of fun being able to work with him so far."
UCLA tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel will be the new offensive play-caller when the UCLA Bruins (0-4 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) take on No. 7 Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
UCLA also takes on No. 8 (5-0) Indiana in Bloomington on October 25th.