UConn has decided to fill their head coaching vacancy with a veteran presence.
According to a report this morning from Pete Thamel, UConn has targeted Jim Mora as their next head coach.
A deal is expected to be finalized soon, Thamel adds.
Mora, who is 59 years old, most recently served as the head coach at UCLA from 2012-17, where he compiled a 46-30 nrecord with four bowl appearances. He did lead the Bruins to back-to-back 10-1 win seasons in 2013 and 2014, but ultimately dropped to 4-8 and 5-6 in his final two seasons in Westwood.
Before returning to college football, Mora had two stints as an NFL head coach. First, with the Falcons from 2004-06, where he went 26-22 with one playoff appearance. In 2009 he got another opportunity with the Seahawks, but lasted just one season as they went 5-11.
In his time not on the sidelines, Mora has been a staple analyst for a variety of networks including NBC, NFL Network, FOX Sports, and most recently, in July of 2019, with ESPN as a rotating color analyst.
The hire would mark a strong move for UConn, who have made just one bowl game the past decade. The Huskies sat out the 2020 season due to COVID, but dating back to 2018, the program has won just four games total (including just one this season). Mora comes in as a coach that has NFL experience, and success at the college level, and will provide some stability and credibility to move the program forward.
With a lot of ties from his extensive time in the NFL, and on the west coast, the coordinators and staff he puts together to recruit the east coast is going to be an interesting storyline to watch.
Stay tuned to The Scoop page for the latest.
Nice. Our @zach_barnett predicted this one a while back. https://t.co/MbF7NlW1bx
— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) November 11, 2021
Update >> UConn has now announced the hire, adding that Mora will serve as an assistant coach for the rest of the 2021 season, which will allow him to carry out various duties including recruiting, through November 27th. He will officially step into the head coaching role November 28th.
Mora and the school have agreed to a five-year deal through the 2026 season, where he will earn $1.5 million in his first year and the agreement will include the opportunity for him to earn an additional $200k in incentives.