UConn football coach Jim Mora on what it will take for his vision of the program to become a reality…

[Ajs120102]

Nah. He could've had one of those if he wanted. His initial comments were about not having to deal with politics and boosters and ridiculous expectations. Now he's setting the expectations.

Looking at that list of top 55 recruiting budgets, UConn's overall recruiting budget is decent, but the share for football is in the bottom five. If Mora got another $300K just for football, that would put UConn on par with most of the PAC12. I think that's doable.

Is there a full video of this question with the initial comment?

 

[Huskyforlife]

If that's the attitude we should join the Patriot league.

Seriously think of how you would justify this monumental budget increase to the administration. Your football team has been the worst in all of D1 for the last 7-8 years, hemorrhaging money, some even calling for the program to shut down, and after one mediocre season you’re asking for a massive re investment? You’re not gonna find a non football fan who agrees this is a good idea, unless it comes with the promise of a P5 invite down the road.

 

[giddyup]

An on campus stadium (within the next few years) is one investment that I see making zero sense.

Finding a way to add $1.5 million or so a year for coaches salaries and our recruiting budget (knowing that this will need to continually increase) is where we need to start.

Ok, sure. That’s doesn’t break the bank though. I’m trying to get my head around where the big spend would be.

 

[uconndogs]

Mora is right on the money with this. UCONN and a lot of programs will need to address this issue. Facilities, salaries, NIL, will drive enormous commitments in capital. Without the right conference alignment and corresponding media revenues I don’t know how you sustain these programs. I’m sure UCONN has many wealthy alumni, but there doesn’t seem to be the history of giving that there is at other universities. Burton was helpful, but I don’t think he’s as deep a pocket as many think he is.

 

[History Geek]

… and it wouldn’t surprise me @ all if this commentary/timing has already been cleared through AD Dave.

Giving this year's relative success, and a 5-5 record on this date, today is the perfect day to mention this.

 

[RC111]

I agree but the school doesn't have the financial resources right now..I imagine he was told this..

This. The athletic department, including football, is hemorrhaging money.

Major expenses in the past couple years and/ or future liabilities:

AAC withdrawal - 17,000,000
Big East entry - 3,500,000
Ollie lawsuit AND buyout - 14,900,000
Big East withdrawal fee (currently) - 30,000,000

I graduated about 10 yrs ago and the cost for in-state attendance has doubled since then. Something will need to give, and as much as I enjoy going to the rent, I think the university needs to be careful before throwing lots more money at the football program. More than a little disappointed to hear this cropping up before season's end from someone who approached the school for the job. (Regardless of the context in which it was asked.)

 

[geordi]

Guys! Guys! I’d love to have a major football program that’s nationally ranked year after year. I’d also like to be 3-4 inches taller and 40 lbs lighter. I’d like to have several beach houses and a fleet of planes to whisk me wherever I have a whim to go. And where, pray tell, is my stable of buxom, blonde, beauties to meet my every desire?

The athletic department budget operated at a $47 million deficit last year. If we triple the football budget, we’re still in the bottom half of FBS. Equivalent to Liberty. That brings the deficit to @ $75M. If it gets us into the ACC, assuming we get a FULL share immediately (unlikely), the deficit is still $35-40M.

I guess that’s a small price to pay in order to let you build your sports related egos. Where is the return on investment? There is the harsh reality or the dreams.

 

[ZooCougar]

Guys! Guys! I’d love to have a major football program that’s nationally ranked year after year. I’d also like to be 3-4 inches taller and 40 lbs lighter. I’d like to have several beach houses and a fleet of planes to whisk me wherever I have a whim to go. And where, pray tell, is my stable of buxom, blonde, beauties to meet my every desire?

The athletic department budget operated at a $47 million deficit last year. If we triple the football budget, we’re still in the bottom half of FBS. Equivalent to Liberty. That brings the deficit to @ $75M. If it gets us into the ACC, assuming we get a FULL share immediately (unlikely), the deficit is still $35-40M.

I guess that’s a small price to pay in order to let you build your sports related egos. Where is the return on investment? There is the harsh reality or the dreams.

You sound like a wbb fan; conflating the football budget with the entire athletic budget.

If we hadn’t been cheapskates with the football program maybe we wouldn’t lost the entire fanbase, have an empty Rent for years and actually made some money on tickets and merch.

 

[CL82]

I need to find the most recent number i saw but UConn has not historically nickeled and dimed the actual football recruiting budget. I don’t think this is the root of any concern.

Colleges That Spend the Most on Recruiting Football Players

College football is a big business, among other things. Tens of millions of dollars routinely flow through the athletic departments of the biggest programs, not to mention the value of the exposure a...

finance.yahoo.com

Other than the size of the team and assistant coaches salaries?

 

[Tucker]

The state has gone from deficit to surplus. The timing of Mora’s message is spot on and yes I believe the AD has blessed this. Spend the money and take a shot at getting into a p5 in the next 5/10 years.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

on one hand yes but it’s not UConns fault he was desperate for this job and didn’t research it before accepting it. Hell he didn’t use an agent. Still he is right

jim mora's dad was an acclaimed NFL head coach.
jim mora was an acclaimed NFL head coach.
jim mora was the head coach at UCLA, who mostly stinks since he was fired on his birthday.


jim mora was not desperate for this job, or any job.
jim mora decided to go back to work in a fun job.

 

[RC111]

It’s fine that you find it concerning that, to compete at a high level in college football, you need to constantly be spending money to reach higher, but it can’t be surprising, can it? Do you think the top schools throw money around like it’s confetti just for the fun of it?

Or is the concerning part that if Mora doesn’t think we’re committed enough to winning, he won’;t be here long? Because we don’t want a coach who won’t want to keep growing and winning, but is satisfied with just achieving some level of mediocrity,

Your first point is essentially a straw man. OP only said "concerning," and you created a door to make your own, unrelated point that (s)he really shouldn't be surprised.

Even your second question is a loaded question. It implies that if we don't meet whatever his desires are, we are not committed to winning within the means that we have available -- that we are satisfied being mediocre. I'm not sure that jump in logic is really fair, based on financial points I made elsewhere. Perhaps, thinking that the program needs to fund itself responsibly until it has a Power 5 TV contact, THEN throw around the confetti money, isn't settling for mediocrity.

 

[CL82]

Seriously think of how you would justify this monumental budget increase to the administration. Your football team has been the worst in all of D1 for the last 7-8 years, hemorrhaging money, some even calling for the program to shut down, and after one mediocre season you’re asking for a massive re investment? You’re not gonna find a non football fan who agrees this is a good idea, unless it comes with the promise of a P5 invite down the road.

Well given that the P5 is a football designation, it’s certainly not happening without a quality football program, right?

 

[CL82]

This. The athletic department, including football, is hemorrhaging money.

Major expenses in the past couple years and/ or future liabilities:

AAC withdrawal - 17,000,000
Big East entry - 3,500,000
Ollie lawsuit AND buyout - 14,900,000
Big East withdrawal fee (currently) - 30,000,000

I graduated about 10 yrs ago and the cost for in-state attendance has doubled since then. Something will need to give, and as much as I enjoy going to the rent, I think the university needs to be careful before throwing lots more money at the football program. More than a little disappointed to hear this cropping up before season's end from someone who approached the school for the job. (Regardless of the context in which it was asked.)

Why are you bringing up a $30 million withdrawal fee? We don’t have to spend that until we leave, and even then, only if we leave within six years of joining the big east. If we leave, will be able to make up that $30 million in a single year and still have roughly the same revenue as our current biggest deal. if we leave seven years after we join the biggies the withdrawal fee is only $15 million. And it drops to 10 million shortly there after.

 

[CL82]

For what it’s worth I love how everyone assumes that football success brings only expense and not revenues. A successful football team would fill the rent generating considerable revenue six days a year.

 

[jdb50]

The UConn administration has just been given their 2 year warning. UConn has always been trying to do things on the cheap. Letting Hathaway be our AD. Pasqualoni. Edsall 2.0. Glad JM is putting this out there. The long term look is do we get into a football conference and with the associated $ and help stabilize our Athletic budget. I hope Hurley can help buy winning a few NCAA games this year. Big East and independent is terminal.

 

[UConnJim]

Think about this, PP made more than Mora as head coach 11 years ago. Diaco was scheduled to make $2.1 million in 2020 vs Mora's $1.5 million.

For perspective, the average estimated HC salaries of some conferences:

ACC: $4.7 million ($4.3 million ex Dabo)
AAC: $3.0 million
MWC: $1.7 million
CUSA: $1.3 million
MAC: $1.0 million

So, what is the goal for UConn football? To ultimately get into the ACC? To join the MAC? The goal will dictate what UConn should be spending on coaches.

How do you finance the spending? It's going to have to be creative. Private donors. Increased revenues from attendance. New TV contract....

 

[RC111]

Why are you bringing up a $30 million withdrawal fee? We don’t have to spend that until we leave, and even then, only if we leave within six years of joining the big east. If we leave, will be able to make up that $30 million in a single year and still have roughly the same revenue as our current biggest deal. if we leave seven years after we join the biggies the withdrawal fee is only $15 million. And it drops to 10 million shortly there after.

I don't see where more money comes from without joining a conference that can pay it. To join a conference that pays more, we need to leave the Big East. If Mora is looking for investment now, then we need money now, and more than a Big East TV contract can pay.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but just as you want to support him, which I can respect, I'll ask sincerely where that money will come from. The cost of attendance for the university has doubled in ten years. Non-football fans already think the athletic budget is out of control.

Also, most of the teams I have read about joining the big conferences do so with a progressively bigger over time revenue sharing. They don't get an equal chunk of the pie immediately. Look up Rutgers, for example. They are STILL not making B1G money and they have been in the conference for years. I appreciate your passion, and I'm all for spending if some T Boon Pickens oil money comes into the budget like with Oklahoma St., but it'll be a hard sell to the 3 million CT residents that aren't packing the rent ever weekend in the fall.

 

[Kolumbo]

I'd sure like to get a peak at Georgia's recruiting ledger. I mean, $2.6 million. Wow.

 

[businesslawyer]

This is my interpretation of what he just said:

I didn’t come here to go .500. You can’t live a champagne life on a beer budget. If you aren’t going to remove the barriers I am facing with the salaries of my coaches, the recruiting budget, the delayed maintenance at the Rent, the stupid roster limit etc.

Then this is a waste of my time.

Your move.

That would be one possibility. The other is his agent is already getting calls and he's making excuses for bailing out after one year. Time will tell.

 

[ZooCougar]

jim mora's dad was an acclaimed NFL head coach.
jim mora was an acclaimed NFL head coach.
jim mora was the head coach at UCLA, who mostly stinks since he was fired on his birthday.


jim mora was not desperate for this job, or any job.
jim mora decided to go back to work in a fun job.

You couldn’t be more off mark.

The man is a hard charger whose idea of fun is excellence. He’s just asking for support that will allow him to achieve it.

 

[ZooCougar]

That would be one possibility. The other is his agent is already getting calls and he's making excuses for bailing out after one year. Time will tell.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Ajs120102]

That would be one possibility. The other is his agent is already getting calls and he's making excuses for bailing out after one year. Time will tell.

He doesn’t have an agent

 

[businesslawyer]

Rowing and tennis don't pay the bills. Basketball and football do. The line is the NCAA minimum. We are not a P5 or Ivy League school. We can't afford to have 21 sports and compete in all of the ones that matter. There wouldn't need to be a lot of cuts but there would need to be a few.

Pay what bills? We spend more on athletics than the revenue it generates. Putting track and tennis dollars into football and hoops doesn't change that.

 

[NHRich]

Is anything he said new to anyone here?