Jim Mora extension

[businesslawyer]

Maybe a bit of apples and oranges here. Mora has a track record as a head coach that Ollie never had.

It's a question worth asking and it's worth trying to get ahead with conversations on how much and how long of an extension. Also definitely need to find out what he wants in terms of facilities, coaching staff salaries, future opponents, etc. We know he wants a bigger walk-on squad for practices during the season.

I’m missing something. How many ‘ships has Mora won?

Having said that, talking about whether to extend Mora, or what to give the program to keep him here, after his start is perfectly reasonable. Just as extending KO after his first two years here was perfectly reasonable. People need to accept that sometimes perfectly reasonable decisions don’t work out.

 

[Waquoit]

I'm about the same age as Mora. He's at the stage I feel that quaility of life matters more than x amount of more money. The jobs that would pay him much more money would also have so many more strings attached that it probably wouldn't be worth it. Maybe what he wants to do is build a program and be an effective coach without having to deal with nonsense like pushy boosters. He has everything he needs to do that here.

 

[ZooCougar]

^^^ I can only speak for myself here as someone who's been in the highly competitive business world for 40+ years and nearing (I hope) the way less turbulent end of my career, but this is spot on.

And not to put too much amateur psychology into it but, what he said in his post game comments about Jackson Mitchell's play in the 4th quarter leaving a legacy at UConn may be where his head is at, too. Coach Mora does not want his coaching career to end with what what happened at UCLA.

I say he stays at UConn until he's proven the doubters wrong and he's done something truly extraordinary and legacy-worthy to end his career, like turning UConn football into a top 20 contender and motivating many around him to excel and succeed along the way (while gently floating down the river of semi-retirement as it were).

You do realize that if the right opportunity with the right money comes along that everything you just said flies right out the window. If your assumptions don’t come true then there is peril. We fail.

I don’t like that. I like being proactive, I like mitigating risk.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm about the same age as Mora. He's at the stage I feel that quaility of life matters more than x amount of more money. The jobs that would pay him much more money would also have so many more strings attached that it probably wouldn't be worth it. Maybe what he wants to do is build a program and be an effective coach without having to deal with nonsense like pushy boosters. He has everything he needs to do that here.

At this moment in time, yes. A month from now when all these new head coaches in P5 conferences are building staffs and offering more money than we pay our assistants? Well I hope UConn is ready to fight.

 

[noeynox]

It’s so nice to have a coach that actually wants to win football games.

This. Mora talked about not approaching this like a rebuild on day 1. He talked about winning on day 1. He mentioned challenges and in particular the 3 game stretch starting with Syracuse. It was refreshing to not hear about 3 or 4 year rebuilding jobs. Everyone knows these things take time, the head coach doesn't need to remind people of the timeline every interview and he certainly doesn't need to make up BS about things like winning at breakfast.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Now you might say that this could be premature, but hear me out.

Mora’s performance is on the radar now. Last season of there were 130 FBS teams then we would be ranked 131st.

Jobs like ASU and CU are open. He’s a west coast guy.

Do we need to do something about securing him here? Just something to think about.

I think at age 59, HCJM is here to stay. Both Mora and his family really really like Dave Benedict.

 

[giddyup]

Mora wanted this job and went after it hard. I think he has a mission and desires to build a legacy more than build his bank account.

 

[gtcam]

Mora also seems to enjoy being around the excellence of the other teams on campus and interacting with the other great coaches. You can't get that at many other places.

Yeah he can rub shoulders with Geno and JC and that is great. But there are plenty of schools that have a few "great" coaches.
JM is much of what most has said here.
What I see in him is someone who has been around coaching at a high level his whole life. The pro ranks are super stressful as are the P5 positions. He has had his taste in both those situations and have felt the highs and lows. He has started a new life with a new wife, is independently wealthy and has children living on the east coast.
Here at UConn he comes into a situation where there is a history in football but had sunk into a deep black hole. He has the chance to do something that he has a passion for with very little pressure, no way to take it to a place worse than when he came in, receive all the highs and accolades when and if there is a turn around and still have his family near him. It's a win/win. If things don't work out he can walk out non the worse for wear.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'm about the same age as Mora. He's at the stage I feel that quaility of life matters more than x amount of more money. The jobs that would pay him much more money would also have so many more strings attached that it probably wouldn't be worth it. Maybe what he wants to do is build a program and be an effective coach without having to deal with nonsense like pushy boosters. He has everything he needs to do that here.

Sell it to Hallmark Channel.

 

[UCPharma11]

Mora wanted this job and went after it hard. I think he has a mission and desires to build a legacy more than build his bank account.

Completely respect and agree with that opinion, but when a coach is exceeding his expectations and bringing a palpable exuberance back to the fan base we BETTER make sure we open up the pocket book and pay him accordingly. Nothing should be left up to doubt.

 

[huskymedic]

They are seemingly having a blast… support them and the coaching staff w/ the proper “resources” and the program will continue to rise.

 

[Kolumbo]

Yeah he can rub shoulders with Geno and JC and that is great. But there are plenty of schools that have a few "great" coaches.
JM is much of what most has said here.
What I see in him is someone who has been around coaching at a high level his whole life. The pro ranks are super stressful as are the P5 positions. He has had his taste in both those situations and have felt the highs and lows. He has started a new life with a new wife, is independently wealthy and has children living on the east coast.
Here at UConn he comes into a situation where there is a history in football but had sunk into a deep black hole. He has the chance to do something that he has a passion for with very little pressure, no way to take it to a place worse than when he came in, receive all the highs and accolades when and if there is a turn around and still have his family near him. It's a win/win. If things don't work out he can walk out non the worse for wear.

Great points. And if Coach enjoys pro sports there are about 20 pro teams within driving distance. I have no idea why Coach came after UCONN but he will take the program as far as it is destined to go.

 

[metsfan2323]

This is why we should be making our best pitch to the B12 conference. We're going to need cash to keep this Revolution going.

Hopefully Mr. Mora is interested in building a lasting legacy at UCONN. If he turns the football program around and plays a big role in getting UCONN invited to a power conference he could run for Governor and win.

 

[giddyup]

Completely respect and agree with that opinion, but when a coach is exceeding his expectations and bringing a palpable exuberance back to the fan base we BETTER make sure we open up the pocket book and pay him accordingly. Nothing should be left up to doubt.

Good point. Some monetary reward for a job well done makes sense. I just don’t think throwing a KO like crazy money extension at him makes sense.

 

[temery]

What are the terms of his current contract?

 

[huskymedic]

What are the terms of his current contract?

Inside UConn’s contract with football coach Jim Mora: Salary, bonuses, buyouts

Jim Mora’s contract includes supplemental compensation, retention bonuses, automobile...

www.ctpost.com

Alternate access link here <<

 

[temery]

Inside UConn’s contract with football coach Jim Mora: Salary, bonuses, buyouts

Jim Mora’s contract includes supplemental compensation, retention bonuses, automobile...

www.ctpost.com

Alternate access link here <<

Did we get him on the cheap?

 

[huskymedic]

Did we get him on the cheap?

He’s #77 out of 131 coaches per USA Today 2021. Slotted in between the Fresno State and Boise State coaches.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

This is why we should be making our best pitch to the B12 conference. We're going to need cash to keep this Revolution going.

Hopefully Mr. Mora is interested in building a lasting legacy at UCONN. If he turns the football program around and plays a big role in getting UCONN invited to a power conference he could run for Governor and win.

I would not think about the big12 right now. Who knows where they will be when this reshuffling is done. PAC12 and Big12 are scrambling.

B1G is the most money and prestige....but that's probably not happening. ACC makes the most sense and is their best shot. Especially if the SEC takes any members.

 

[Kolumbo]

A little side-tracked but George O'Leary was 58 for his first season with the Knights and was there from 2004-2015. UCF is like the bizarro world version of UCONN when it comes to CR. I also thought of Charlie Strong who left Louisville for Texas and failed, but that guy changes jobs just about every year anyway. Jim Mora could have one of these outside the Burton Family Football Complex and what a legacy that would be.

Conference affiliations[edit]​

• Division III Independent (1979–1981)
• Division II Independent (1982–1989)
• Div-I FCS Independent (1990–1995)
• Div-I FBS Independent (1996–2001)
• Mid-American Conference (2002–2004)
• Conference USA (2005–2012)
• American Athletic Conference (2013–2022)
• Big 12 Conference (2023–future)

 

[BigTenFan]

Bret Bielema @ Illinois has had a great year also

 

[Waquoit]

Just to keep the good vibes going, Mora isn't just putting his players in a position to succeed; I get the impression he's coaching up his coaches. He's building a program, not just a team.

 

[businesslawyer]

I would not think about the big12 right now. Who knows where they will be when this reshuffling is done. PAC12 and Big12 are scrambling.

B1G is the most money and prestige....but that's probably not happening. ACC makes the most sense and is their best shot. Especially if the SEC takes any members.

The only shot at moving up in the next round of realignment is that the ACC loses member to the Big Ten (UNC, UVA, FSU) or to the SEC (FSU, Clemson) and we fill in to an ACC conference that is roughly equivalent to the Big East we used to play in. Since attendance and TV ratings go up with winning, that means getting back to where we were in basketball and football.

 

[uconndogs]

I really don't think folks get this. The BiG just locked of SoCal and the SEC just locked up Texas. As soon as they can those conferences are going to grab the key markets they want from the ACC. They will pay huge money for talent and will get huge money for media rights. This will have nothing to to with college athletics and everything to do with professional sport franchises which happened to be aligned with large universities. NCAA influence will be non-existent assuming they are involved at all.

UCONN will be with the rest of the pack in something that looks a lot like what college football used to look like. There will be more regional influence and rivalry. Frankly, that sounds a lot more appealing to me than where the BiG and SEC are going.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

What are the terms of his current contract?

200K incentive bonus, which I think he already should have. Beyond that, not sure.