Former UCLA coach Jim Mora is hired as Connecticut coach
Connecticut has hired former UCLA coach Jim Mora, who also coached two NFL teams, to lead the Huskies.
The 59-year-old Mora has been out of coaching and working as a television analyst after spending six seasons (2012-17) leading UCLA to a 46-30 record.
“Jim is a proven winner, a man of integrity, and he possesses the experience and energy to lead our football program back to success,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said in a statement.
Mora coached four seasons in the NFL, three with the Atlanta Falcons and one with the Seattle Seahawks, going 31-33. He was also a defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers for five years.
UConn has been searching for a head coach since Randy Edsall stepped down in September.
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson benefited from a bye week, using the time to recover from a thumb injury that forced him to miss the Utah game.
Mora and UConn agreed to a five-year deal that runs through the 2026 season, with a first-year salary of $1.5 million, according to the school’s announcement.
He will be added to the UConn staff immediately as an assistant coach, allowing him the ability to do some coaching in practice with the current players and, most important, to have full privileges in recruiting.
“This program is loaded with potential, and I look forward to getting to know the student-athletes on the team and am eager to get to work,” Mora said in a statement.
The Huskies are 1-8 in the their first season playing as an independent in football.
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