Jim Mora Expected to be Named HC

[Banta55]

I totally forgot that happened. I don't blame AD David Benedict one bit for not looking to him for guidance or even having a conversation, especially when his loyalty may lean towards Edsall before UConn, at least when it comes to football.

Former UConn Quarterback Dan Orlovsky Clarifies 'Schmuck' Comment

That came from Edsall not his own opinion..I grew up with a previous assitant
coach..Edsall is a piece of work being nice.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

because what the hell else do you do in Idaho ... if you aren't going fishing and there is no snow.

Be a father to children now all out of high school, hike, bike, run, climb, train mountain climbers as Mora reportedly did (UW teammate Himalayas climber included), eat and imbibe well, breath fresh air, hunt, collect fairly nice UCLA payments, etc.

More relevant now for UConn, watch sh|t loads of football, work as an ESPN football analyst, visit many schools' games and practices staying abreast of evolving gridiron strategies, etc as Mora directly referenced in yesterday's media chat. I'm Switzerland on Mora's hiring and welcome a new beginning, yet also ponder how many coaching and time-consumed BCS, FCS, and D-2 coaches have such analytical opportunities? @Dean Wormer

 

[Waquoit]

DanO was quoted in the papers referring to AD Dave as a "schmuck". I for one am shocked AD Dave didn't call to get his input.

DanO didn't just call him names, he was putting another guy in his job.

 

[CL82]

It is interesting how what the school finds desirable in a new football coach is very different from what they look for in a new basketball coach.

Chesney would have had a lot in common with the Hurley hire IMO, Mora would be like the basketball team going after Lon Kruger or Mike Woodson. I guess they feel the next great football coach is harder to identify.

Isn’t it a good thing that Benedict isn’t locked into a single process or mindset when looking for coaching candidates?

 

[CL82]

Be a father to children now all out of high school, hike, bike, run, climb, train mountain climbers as Mora reportedly did (UW teammate Himalayas climber included), eat and imbibe well, breath fresh air, hunt, collect fairly nice UCLA payments, etc.

More relevant now for UConn, watch sh|t loads of football, work as an ESPN football analyst, visit many schools' games and practices staying abreast of evolving gridiron strategies, etc as Mora directly referenced in yesterday's media chat. I'm Switzerland on Mora's hiring and welcome a new beginning, yet also ponder how many coaching and time-consumed BCS, FCS, and D-2 coaches have such analytical opportunities? @Dean Wormer

It has the appearance of being a good hire. Of course, Bob Diaco also had the appearance of being a good hire. With JLM at least he has head-coaching experience in college and professionally, so he is unlikely to be overwhelmed in that role at Connecticut.

The jury is still out until we start winning football games, but I like the hire.

 

[CL82]

LOL. You forgot UMass but that’s perfectly understandable — everyone else does!

Who?

 

[Dean Wormer]

Be a father to children now all out of high school, hike, bike, run, climb, train mountain climbers as Mora reportedly did (UW teammate Himalayas climber included), eat and imbibe well, breath fresh air, hunt, collect fairly nice UCLA payments, etc.

More relevant now for UConn, watch sh|t loads of football, work as an ESPN football analyst, visit many schools' games and practices staying abreast of evolving gridiron strategies, etc as Mora directly referenced in yesterday's media chat. I'm Switzerland on Mora's hiring and welcome a new beginning, yet also ponder how many coaching and time-consumed BCS, FCS, and D-2 coaches have such analytical opportunities? @Dean Wormer

I’m not against the hire at all. When i first heard about it I liked that it was a “name”guy, that fans had heard of. But there are legit questions to be asked.
I’m hoping against hope this works out because based on that article, it might be our last best shot at getting it right.

 

[Jimdish255]

I can see the reasons for this hire:

1. Mora steps in early and we get off the coaching carousel. Helps with keeping our current class together.
2. He appears to be respected and has connections.
3. His college/pro experience and organizational skills.
4. Should be a good recruiter.
5. Looks and sounds younger than his age.
6. Has still been active at least as an analyst on the College level.

Cons:

1. A little older and out of the nuts and bolts of running a team and all that goes into it for a few years.
2. Maybe doesn't have that young hungry edge or a recent pattern of elevating losing programs.

All in all this will come down to 3 things for me.

1. Is he stale, rusty or out of touch with the game, or ready to put together everything he's learned, all his connections and goals to turn things around?
2. Can he recruit " like heck"?
-and most importantly...
3. Will he hire the right Coordinators and let them do their thing?

If those questions are answered positively this will be a huge win.
I have no idea. But Dave Benedict's judgement will either be validated or abrogated by the result of this choice and for now we should support it. Certainly more positive than the last 3 picks on multiple levels.

 

[ZooCougar]

“Some Guy” isn’t wrong here:




There are clearly exceptions but the majority of high end kids are @ the Prep Schools (check list over the past few years). Mora needs to find his CT “guy” that has strong relationships (or is/was one of them). Also needs to build strong relationships w/ local private trainers.

Don’t we have a former coach that is at Avon Old Farms now?

 

[ZooCougar]

I can see the reasons for this hire:

1. Mora steps in early and we get off the coaching carousel. Helps with keeping our current class together.
2. He appears to be respected and has connections.
3. His college/pro experience and organizational skills.
4. Should be a good recruiter.
5. Looks and sounds younger than his age.
6. Has still been active at least as an analyst on the College level.

Cons:

1. A little older and out of the nuts and bolts of running a team and all that goes into it for a few years.
2. Maybe doesn't have that young hungry edge or a recent pattern of elevating losing programs.

All in all this will come down to 3 things for me.

1. Is he stale, rusty or out of touch with the game, or ready to put together everything he's learned, all his connections and goals to turn things around?
2. Can he recruit " like heck"?
-and most importantly...
3. Will he hire the right Coordinators and let them do their thing?

If those questions are answered positively this will be a huge win.
I have no idea. But Dave Benedict's judgement will either be validated or abrogated by the result of this choice and for now we should support it. Certainly more positive than the last 3 picks on multiple levels.

He recruited 5-6 1st round draft picks at UCLA.

 

[Jimdish255]

No. He’s and out of work HC. And we got him for a steal. Nobody else wanted him.

Doesn’t mean he can’t be good but we did not punch above our weight class here.

Can you be a little more specific about how nobody else wanted him?

 

[CallMeBruce]

Can you be a little more specific about how nobody else wanted him?

Mora definitely had other offers. One of the reasons UConn pulled the trigger on him so quickly (they were originally planning to do more interviews with other candidates over Thanksgiving and announce on 12/1) is that there were concerns Mora would no longer be available at that point.

 

[Jimdish255]

I may be in the minority, but I think Edsall did a decent job in getting more talent on the roster than what Diaco left.

Are we slow/small in a few spots, sure but I haven't been seeing a talent gap like we saw in 18 and 19. I think RE's big problem, ironically, was he couldn't teach these guys how to play correctly, consistently. That and the play calling was horrendous.

We are 1-8 this year more because of coaching than talent, IMO.

5 years later our OL stinks and we are incredibly young and thin at multiple positions, OL, LB etc because of his stubbornness.

 

[Yup!]

Mora definitely had other offers. One of the reasons UConn pulled the trigger on him so quickly (they were originally planning to do more interviews with other candidates over Thanksgiving and announce on 12/1) is that there were concerns Mora would no longer be available at that point.

I wouldn’t listen to Carl… he’s upset Golden wasn’t even on the short list. He’s trying to downplay this hire because it would go against his UConn is small time, so we can get anyone other than an FCS coach narrative.

 

[EricCantona]

Mora definitely had other offers. One of the reasons UConn pulled the trigger on him so quickly (they were originally planning to do more interviews with other candidates over Thanksgiving and announce on 12/1) is that there were concerns Mora would no longer be available at that point.

Can you give us a peek into who else was being considered or interviewed? Feel free to PM. I know you’re in the know based on some things you’ve correctly predicted in the past.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Mora definitely had other offers. One of the reasons UConn pulled the trigger on him so quickly (they were originally planning to do more interviews with other candidates over Thanksgiving and announce on 12/1) is that there were concerns Mora would no longer be available at that point.

I believe Mora could have got offers over the years but he wanted to wait out his, $12M payout. If I am in his situation, I would.

Basically, we got a coach who used to be paid $3.5M a year for $1.5M. He coached at much bigger places, and he is near his career where he probably didn't want all the crazy pressure like he had at UCLA. I mean he was on the chopping block simply not able to beat USC.

At Uconn, Mora pretty much can shape his own legacy without all the crazy pressure. He also got his former coordinators in place with Spano and probably Mazzone. He will also have huge input into future schedules since we are an indy. If he can win 7 to 9 games here per year, he would be loved and appreciated here. He also has no USC to tangle with. I am pretty if Uconn can kick BCU's butt every year, fans would be very happy here. Uconn could be a nice gig to retire into when he wants to.

Also, I am hearing some UCLA fans are regretting firing him since they basically fired More to get CHIP Kelly. Chip is only at 5-4, and he hasn't met expectations yet.

Looking at Mora's resume, he is a solid coach. I know when he was DC at 49ers, we had an awesome defense.

Pudge - would love to hear more about why Mora was fired at UCLA.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[CL82]

“Progressive” in that it actually makes progress on the field? That will be a nice change.

 

[Yup!]

“Progressive” in that it actually makes progress on the field? That will be a nice change.

progressive as in adapting, not stubborn to only one way of doing things

 

[DoctorWho85]

I think it helps that, even though he hasn't coached in 4 years, he was still an analyst for college games. So he still watched very closely a ton of games every week. I think this gives him a blueprint to what he wants to build at UConn.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[kingdobbs]

I don’t think it was misinformation. Some who reported the news were not really credible but one report was credible I believe and its a short list that included Chesney, Moorhead, Golden, and Campanile, then someone ( most likely Spanos ) suggested that Mora is the best candidate to turn this ship around, Mora and Dave impressed each other so here we are.

When I say misinformation I really mean “misdirection”. Leak out a false, but plausible and confirmable, lead so that the media is deliberately chasing that lead and isn’t sniffing around the one you want.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[wheelerdog]

Guess he had to sit this one out....he is too tight with Edsall.

But if I were AD David Benedict I would be calling Danny O today to keep the connection alive and well.

Why?

 

[Ajs120102]

Mora said he can’t contact recruits until tomorrow. Has to past a test.