{"id":92276,"date":"2025-08-24T12:15:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T12:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/92276\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T12:15:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T12:15:12","slug":"raised-on-football-tino-sunseri-eager-to-revitalize-uclas-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/92276\/","title":{"rendered":"Raised on football, Tino Sunseri eager to revitalize UCLA’s offense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

That thick, wavy black hair once had no place atop Tino Sunseri\u2019s<\/a> head.<\/p>\n

Long before he arrived in Westwood as UCLA\u2019s offensive coordinator<\/a> and a GQ cover candidate, his father made him shave that glorious mane, the better to protect his head so that it would fit snugly inside his helmet as a young quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always had an emphasis of, \u2018Hey, I don\u2019t care how your frickin\u2019 hair looks or what women think,\u2019\u201d Sal Sunseri<\/a> said. \u201cThe bottom line is, I wanted him to be secure.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is how the Sunseris operate. Success means sacrifice. It\u2019s why Anthony Sunseri, Tino\u2019s grandfather and the family patriarch, would rise at 5 each morning to prepare for another day of running the family\u2019s Italian deli and grocery store in Pittsburgh. The man who called himself Tony Macaroni wouldn\u2019t come home until after 5 in the evening, only to tackle a stack of bills and other obligations just so that he could get to bed and rise to do it all over again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line,\u201d Sal said of his father, \u201che would say, \u2018If you can\u2019t get up in the morning, you ain\u2019t worth a s\u2014\u2019 .\u201d <\/p>\n

Tino was on the move practically from birth. The son of a college and NFL coach who schlepped him from Pittsburgh to Iowa Wesleyan to Illinois State to Louisville to Alabama A&M to Louisiana State to Michigan State to the Carolina Panthers by the time he was in middle school, Tino grew up with a sporting goods store\u2019s worth of gear and a deep appreciation for the players who wore all those helmets and jerseys.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the first coaching adage Tino learned was that if you win, you stay. If you lose, you move.<\/p>\n

A rare respite came when Sal spent seven glorious years as defensive line coach with Carolina. His wife, Roxann, would make 150 meatballs with garlic bread that Sal would distribute a few days after wins. Though intended for the defensive linemen, Sal would make sure to squirrel some away for other players such as running back DeShaun Foster<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a 10 out of 10,\u201d Foster said of the meatballs.<\/p>\n

It was in the Panthers locker room that Tino, accompanying his father to work with wide eyes, first encountered the player who would one day become his boss. Reserved as he was, Foster found it easy to befriend the middle-school boy who dutifully slipped on rubber gloves to pick up jockstraps and jerseys.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would come up to you as a young kid that looked up to all these NFL players, that was having all the success,\u201d Tino remembered, \u201cand would take the time to be able to talk to you, spend time with you and was really, really genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than two decades later, Sal was lounging on his couch when he got a call from Foster, now UCLA\u2019s coach, asking if he could have Tino\u2019s phone number. The request came only a few months after Foster and Tino shared a hug at the Rose Bowl, the first time they had reconnected since Foster\u2019s time with the Panthers. Tino\u2019s Indiana Hoosiers, thanks largely to the efforts of the quarterback he coached, had just walloped Foster\u2019s Bruins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During their brief exchange, Foster told Tino that he would hire him someday. That day was sooner than either might have imagined.<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh <\/p>\n

Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri plays against Rutgers in November 2012.<\/p>\n

(Keith Srakocic \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The first time he met reporters covering his new team, Tino Sunseri shook everyone\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

This is how the Sunseris operate. Respect matters. It\u2019s why Tino indulged every customer, both nasty and agreeable, while working his college summers as a bus boy and waiter at Bella Notte, the family restaurant in Pittsburgh known for its shredded pepperoni pizzas.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d fully engage when he could, breaking out a big smile. Other times he\u2019d shift into keep-his-mouth-shut mode if he thought it might yield better results from someone who was being difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows how to talk to people,\u201d said Nino Sunseri, Tino\u2019s uncle and godfather who runs the joint. \u201cIf you can get people who aren\u2019t nice to perform for you, picture what you can get nice people to do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Working at the restaurant also taught Tino that he didn\u2019t want to do that sort of thing forever. If things broke his way, maybe he\u2019d be an NFL quarterback.<\/p>\n

By then he\u2019d already led his Pittsburgh high school, Central Catholic \u2014 which also happened to be the alma mater of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino<\/a> and two-time Pro Bowler Marc Bulger \u2014 to a 16-0 season and state championship thanks to his strong arm and perfectionist streak. At Pittsburgh, where his mother had been a star gymnast and his father an All-America linebacker, Tino helped the Panthers reach three bowl games while piling up the third-most passing yards in school history.<\/p>\n

Undrafted yet undeterred, Tino pivoted to the Canadian Football League. He won a Grey Cup during his three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders before being cut. His coaching start came with a former colleague of his father\u2019s when he joined Jimbo Fisher\u2019s<\/a> Florida State staff before the 2016 season as a quality control assistant.<\/p>\n

Tino would go on to work with some of the top offensive minds in the college game, culling ideas from Nick Saban<\/a> and Steve Sarkisian<\/a> during two seasons as a graduate assistant at Alabama. In 2021, he landed his first big job as quarterbacks coach under Curt Cignetti at James Madison.<\/p>\n

\"Tino <\/p>\n

Tino Sunseri during his time as a quarterback with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2014.<\/p>\n

(Brent Just \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cThose guys,\u201d Sal Sunseri said of his son\u2019s mentors, \u201cknew how to put points on the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eyes wide once more, Tino watched closely, absorbing every tidbit.<\/p>\n

As he went on to help Cignetti and Indiana achieve historic success during a 2024 season that ended in the College Football Playoff, somebody was increasingly keeping tabs on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing how he has evolved as a coach and everything,\u201d Foster said of the coach he hired in December,<\/a> rewarding him with a two-year contract that will pay him $1.3 million this year, \u201cit just resonated, like, this is somebody that I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar to the way he handled customers at the family restaurant, Tino tailors his approach to each quarterback.<\/p>\n

Sometimes that meant demonstrating what he wanted on the practice field or showing game footage of top quarterbacks making the right decisions. Other times, for the players who preferred to see plays spelled out with Xs and O\u2019s, he\u2019d diagram it on paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted to get to know you,\u201d said Kurtis Rourke,<\/a> the Indiana quarterback who led the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record last season before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, \u201cand know what learning style worked best with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is how the Sunseris operate. Meticulousness matters. Rourke said that Tino\u2019s exacting nature bled into every quarterback, maximizing their potential. Indiana\u2019s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator would put plays up on the whiteboard and have everyone in the room explain every detail of what was supposed to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helped us learn and understand so that when we went out into the field it wasn\u2019t like, \u2018Whoa, what\u2019s going on?\u2019\u201d Rourke said. \u201cIt was very much second nature to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his first season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Ohio, Rourke completed 69.4% of his passes for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns with only five interceptions.<\/p>\n

Winning big with a new quarterback was nothing new for Tino.<\/p>\n

\"Tino <\/p>\n

Tino Sunseri congratulates Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke during a game against Northwestern in October 2024.<\/p>\n

(Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In Tino\u2019s first year at James Madison, veteran quarterback Cole Johnson helped the Dukes reach the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs. In 2022, transfer quarterback Todd Centeio (now a graduate assistant at UCLA) was part of a team that won the Sun Belt Conference\u2019s East Division title. A year later, Sunseri and Jordan McCloud, a transfer from Arizona, teamed to win another division title.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Tino\u2019s formula? He said it\u2019s as much about continually assessing himself as much as his quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I articulate this the right way? Is he receiving the information?\u201d Tino said, repeating the questions he asks himself. \u201cBecause it\u2019s not about what I know, it\u2019s what he knows and what he can apply. And so the biggest thing is making sure that you don\u2019t overload the computer and it shuts down. You want to make sure that you\u2019re consistently being able to give it data so that it can be able to make sure that it\u2019s ready to be able to have the information you need when you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comparing teaching football to fatherhood, Tino said it\u2019s essential to tell players not what they want to hear but what they need to hear to grow into the best version of themselves. <\/p>\n

What Nico Iamaleava,<\/a> the highly rated transfer quarterback from Tennessee,<\/a> has heard and seen makes him confident that his coach\u2019s history of immediate success could be on the verge of repeating itself.<\/p>\n

Tino has been so active in practice drills, mimicking the footwork he wants and rolling out and firing a pass during one recent session, that he might as well pull on one of the quarterback\u2019s blue jerseys.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a high-energy guy, man,\u201d Iamaleava said of the coach who will turn 37 in December. \u201cHe just has that certain presence to him that makes you want to go play for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like his father, who liberally sprinkles \u201cfrickin\u2019\u201d and \u201cthe bottom line\u201d into conversation, Tino is fond of certain phrases. He inserts \u201cmake sure that\u201d and \u201cbe able to\u201d in almost every sentence, often multiple times.<\/p>\n

This is how the Sunseris operate. Consistency and familiarity matter.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why many believe Tino\u2019s UCLA offense will look a lot like Indiana\u2019s, even if Tino wasn\u2019t the one calling plays for the Hoosiers when they rolled up 41.3 points and 426.4 yards per game last season, easily surpassing the 18.4 points and 328.8 yards that UCLA produced under Eric Bieniemy.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI expect it to be similar to what Indiana\u2019s done and did last year,\u201d said Rourke, adding the caveat that he has not spoken with his former coach much since he took the UCLA job. \u201cYou know, his offense works, it\u2019s very fast-paced, it has [run-pass options] and a great passing attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear from the snippets of practice reporters have been allowed to watch that presnap movement \u2014 designed to keep defenses guessing about the play call \u2014 will be a staple of the offense. Its design also appears to value efficiency over unnecessary gambles.<\/p>\n

\"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri directs players during practice in April.<\/p>\n

(Nate Donlevy \/ UCLA Athletics)<\/p>\n

In an attempt to conceal his scheme before the season opener against Utah on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, Tino would only say that it\u2019s \u201ceverything\u201d that can squeeze the most out of his players\u2019 capabilities. His father predicted it would reflect all of his son\u2019s mentors over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a combination of a little bit of Sark, a little bit of Jimbo, a little bit of frickin\u2019 Alabama,\u201d Sal Sunseri said, \u201cbecause he knows one thing, that you\u2019ve got to be able to run the ball and you\u2019ve got to be able to hit explosives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery, Sal won\u2019t be there Saturday to share another special moment at the Rose Bowl with his son. They had been at the stadium together in January 2014 when Sal was Florida State\u2019s defensive ends coach and the Seminoles beat Auburn to win the final Bowl Championship Series title game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat Rose Bowl\u2019s been pretty good to him,\u201d Sal said, \u201cso hopefully he can go out there and do what the old man did and win some games.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly what he knows. This is how the Sunseris operate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"That thick, wavy black hair once had no place atop Tino Sunseri\u2019s head. Long before he arrived in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,3181,68473,32893,596,12268,68477,68475,5132,15624,61251,68474,161,85,6618,68472,8451,68476],"class_list":["post-92276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-coach","tag-deshaun-foster","tag-father","tag-football","tag-indiana","tag-indiana-hoosiers","tag-kurtis-rourke","tag-pittsburgh","tag-player","tag-quarterback","tag-sal-sunseri","tag-season","tag-sports","tag-time","tag-tino-sunseri","tag-ucla","tag-yard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}