Jim Mora Expected to be Named HC

[businesslawyer]

Meh. Whiff of a retread out of CFB for a very long time. Has the advantage of potentially retaining Spanos. DB apparently valued continuity very highly. A very valid concern and we will have to trust DB on this one. Fix it but don't change it sort of mindset. Will keep an open mind. Not wildly enthused at this point but we will wait to see who is on the staff.

But I do hope that he is on the sideline against Clemson.

I share your initial reaction. Very surprised, both by him specifically but even the resume more generally — older, out of the game for a few years, no east coast coaching. But that doesn’t make it a bad hire either. I need to let it sink in and give it thought.

But DB’s career is resting on this decision, so whether it works out or not I assume he made the choice very deliberately and purposefully.

 

[Dooooooomed]

 

[huskysupporter]

Worth noting, Mazzone and Marinelli are close. If Mazzone is OC, wouldn't be surprised if Marinelli comes in as QB coach to be our tie to CT and New England

Would be extremely smart to try and get Marinelli here.

 

[businesslawyer]

He wants CT kids playing for UConn which is another critical piece. We have so many three and four star recruits that take off and laugh at UConn. Hopefully Mora can change that perception in these kids.

No. You don’t. You don’t have “so many” three and four star recruits laughing at us because CT doesn’t have that many three and four star recruits to begin with. Plus, why shouldn’t they laugh at us. Most of the few thousand of us left to go to games can only laugh at us.

But other than that really good take.

 

[Purple Stein]

Jim bleeping Mora. Who woulda thought.

 

[Yup!]

I share your initial reaction. Very surprised, both by him specifically but even the resume more generally — older, out of the game for a few years, no east coast coaching. But that doesn’t make it a bad hire either. I need to let it sink in and give it thought.

But DB’s career is resting on this decision, so whether it works out or not I assume he made the choice very deliberately and purposefully.

Isn’t Atlanta considered South East? He coached for the Atlanta Falcons where he won coach of the year. Maybe you’re talking college?

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

The guy will be 65 when his contract ends. Uggh. Can we stop with the 60 year old + coaches? I want someone no older than 50 to actually be invested in rebuilding the program. Maybe he'll hire Pasqualoni as his Defensive Coordinator....

I want a proven head coach/CEO that prospective players, incumbent players, and coaches respect, listen to, and will go through walls for on Saturdays. The assistant coaches are the ones that recruit at the high schools and then into the living rooms and are the players' focal point at practice during the week from a positional teaching standpoint. The assistants are SOOOO key to the program.

I'm not worried about HC age as much as ability to organize and execute.

 

[CL82]

This exceeded my expectations. A former UCLA and NFL head coach, who was decent at both stops, if not great. That's as big a name as we could get, somebody who clearly signals that UConn takes football seriously.

This. This is a power move by Benedict that, in one swift stroke has put to bed the rumors that the University of Connecticut is winding down it’s football program, and signaled to current players and future recruits that we are serious about football.

(@ZooCougar are you pleasantly surprised?)

 

[metsfan2323]

The Clemson game can now be used as a recruiting tool. I'm sure Mora will be interviewed.

Great timing!

 

[Pudge]

bulletpoints & vignettes


1. Give Mrs Spanos a lot of credit, she obviously loves life in Connecticut. There is no doubt that Lou is involved in this. No or few other coaches would allow a Jim Mora to hang around as an assistant with our players late in a season.
2. Mora is a big name. I loved his Dad. I loved Jim Mora as a UCLA coach where he took over from our legacy QB Rick Neuheisel who was failing badly. (cough cough Karl Dorrell) Mora is a consummate professional. Almost 50% as an NFL HC - IMHO - is a solid job. That all has to do with draft, luck, injuries, management far beyond a CFB structure.
3. You get Spanos and probably Mazzone. You have to think this is the path that led Benedict to this hire. My think is we significantly raised our sights on hires for the Staffing. UCLA got the best. Edsall has a armful of younger guys that he pulled along that would not be at P5 programs - to be honest. Duffin-Carter proved himself. We upgrade. This is a very important feature; and certainly MORA knows about recruiting ... and MORA/Mazzone/Spanos et al would know about this Transfer portal world and how to raise our talent > HCRE.
4. The $2m. That is why we are a different Independent. And far beyond UMass. And I don't think Army or others quite have the arc WE could have.
5. Charisma? Both Jim Sr. & Jim Jr. are as good with the stump speech as can be. Yes, I have seen both in mixed alumni audiences and they can dish. Edsall is an acquired taste - to put it mildly.
6. Who says 59 is too old? (I was born in the 1950s)
7. Dan Orlovsky Jr. has/had a very interesting relationship with Dan Orlovsky Sr. Let's keep Danny happy - is my motto. But, we do not need to consult our most prestigious football alums when Benedict needs input every time. I am sure they talked. And ... we hired a top consulting firm = Parker. What is my first thought about Benedict in this: He had a national network and he clearly is tied in. He trusted some relationships down the hall heavily.
8. In the press release: Dr. Andrew Agwunobi is referred to as the UCLA interim president at CBS Sportsline. He is the UCONN interim president.


I do see similarities in the UCLA fan base and UCONN. I would rather be in the Rose Bowl in late November - after Turkey - in 90 degree weather having Santa Ana winds blow over the San Gabriels than Rent. I would rather have a snow blizzard XMAS week.

 

[businesslawyer]

Isn’t Atlanta considered South East? He coached for the Atlanta Falcons where he won coach of the year. Maybe you’re talking college?

In the NFL the geography of your team is irrelevant. In college football, it’s highly relevant. And Atlanta is not in our region of the country anyway, whether by geography or culture.

 

[Nostical]

I'm not so sure Spanos and Mazzone didn't recruit Mora.

Bingo!

 

[noeynox]

why does it matter that he’s 59 when any coach is going to leave this job as soon as they have any success regardless

These Old guys, P, Edsall, are mainly collecting one final round of paychecks before they ride off into the sunset permanently.

 

[huskysupporter]

No. You don’t. You don’t have “so many” three and four star recruits laughing at us because CT doesn’t have that many three and four star recruits to begin with. Plus, why shouldn’t they laugh at us. Most of the few thousand of us left to go to games can only laugh at us.

But other than that really good take.

This is what makes me nervous - one of the things that is absolutely vital in getting this program on track is to recognize relatively nearby recruiting hotbeds. CT should not be primary focus - Florida, Penn, Ohio and Virginia should be.

 

[J187Money]

Definitely a serious upgrade. I like it. Let's hope that the price tag allows him to build a very high quality staff - which might be even more important.

 

[Yup!]

No. You don’t. You don’t have “so many” three and four star recruits laughing at us because CT doesn’t have that many three and four star recruits to begin with. Plus, why shouldn’t they laugh at us. Most of the few thousand of us left to go to games can only laugh at us.

But other than that really good take.

We have ten 3 stars in CT alone this year, two 4 stars and thirteen 3 stars last year in CT alone. We are a tiny state.

2021 Top Football Recruits in Connecticut

The 247Sports rankings are determined by our recruiting analysts after countless hours of personal observations, film evaluation and input from our network of scouts.

247sports.com

 

[blue93]

He wants CT kids playing for UConn which is another critical piece. We have so many three and four star recruits that take off and laugh at UConn. Hopefully Mora can change that perception in these kids.

I couldn’t care any less where kids come from at this point. I want good football players. If they happen to come from CT, great.

 

[businesslawyer]

This is what makes me nervous - one of the things that is absolutely vital in getting this program on track is to recognize relatively nearby recruiting hotbeds. CT should not be primary focus - Florida, Penn, Ohio and Virginia should be.

Add New Jersey, but yes

 

[UCTitleTown]

We don’t need him for more than a handful of years to stabilize and then be able to attract the next hot 40 yr old coaching savant.

I bet I can find similar comments on this board after Pasqualoni and after Randy 2.0. How'd those hires work out?

 

[BigTenFan]

Excellent hire. Let's see a west coast offense put in place

 

[navery12]

 

[businesslawyer]

We have ten 3 stars in CT alone this year, two 4 stars and thirteen 3 stars last year in CT alone. We are a tiny state.

2021 Top Football Recruits in Connecticut

The 247Sports rankings are determined by our recruiting analysts after countless hours of personal observations, film evaluation and input from our network of scouts.

247sports.com

Do you read your own posts? WE ARE A TINY STATE. I’m not denigrating CT high school football by saying we can’t rely on our own recruits to the extent Florida or Georgia or Penn State or even Rutgers can. You called it. We are a tiny state. Even if our football was as good per capital as in Florida (hint — no sane person thinks it is), we couldn’t rely primarily on CT recruits. EVen if we were a top 40 program that should get the best kids . (Hint — we’re not a top 40 program. We’re not a top 130 program.)

 

[thatguyed]

Spending only $1.5M for Year 1 sounds like a bargain. Hopefully, not having to overspend means more bucks are available to retain and hire a more than solid, fully rounded staff.

 

[Bomber36]

Joining the staff as an assistant coach until the end of the year is the single strangest part of this whole thing. What a joke

An assistant coach in name only.

 

[CL82]

We don’t need him for more than a handful of years to stabilize and then be able to attract the next hot 40 yr old coaching savant.

So, what Randy was hired to be..

I agree, but I have higher hopes than that.