Moving UConn Football Forward - A Message from Athletic Director David Benedict.

[uconnbill]

Mora has always been a West Coast guy and loves the mountains.
I am shocked he went to a school like CSU, but again, moving to the Pac-12 makes sense in a way.

Now we need to find a good coach who can keep this going.

Dave Benedict is going to have to make a lot of calls to his contacts, get the right coach, and start a backdoor discussion with the Big 12 or ACC. We need a conference asap so this doesn't happen.

P.S. The basketball only crowd needs to realize that staying in the Big East is a death watch for all our sports, not just football

 

[Husky25]

Where is this nobody cared about the Duke win and Mora resented it coming from? People were going crazy on social media and regular media about that win and the job Mora has done. To the point of going overboard, he beat Duke not Georgia.

I think he meant how the refs for the Duke game made a nearly game changing mistake in rule "Interpretation" by not allowing UConn to make personnel adjustments after Duke made their offensive substitutions. Mora was heated from that point on.

Mora settled in Idaho after his stint at UCLA. Colorado is much closer to his speed than the Northeast.

 

[J187Money]

They need to project the right path forward since they are asking us to renew our tickets by next Wednesday. I’m not at risk but I’m sure there are many that are now in the fence.

 

[Nameless]

Zanetto!​

Lmao. Zanetto is probably finishing the thumbnail for his "Bill Parcells to UConn" video as we speak

 

[tiger paw]

Look at the bright side. At least we are not UMass ---- yet. BC is nothing to be proud of either. Northeast / New England college football is not a go to destination. Very little interest from the general public.

 

[snoopy]

Whoever said that we won’t be making a power conference anytime soon…respectfully, I disagree.

I’m just going to be frank: the ACC and Big 12 are fighting their own battles right now, as they are currently worried about retaining members. UConn is power-conference ready, we’re just waiting for the current realignment to settle. I wouldn’t be surprised if Yormark and DB have the occasional discussion about adding UConn to the B12. I think part of the reason Mora left is because he realized it will be 2-3 years before we get solidified into a P4—given his west coast connections, he may have realized it would be time better spent closer to home.

 

[businesslawyer]

Good job by DB to get out in front of this and show the football fans that the school is committed to football success.

I would love to hear Mora tell us directly why he is making this move, but we will probably never hear the real story…so in the meantime we have to speculate.

This isn’t about his career…he is too old to use CSU as a stepping stone. This isn’t about money…he has money and he isn’t wired that way.

I think the biggest clue we have, was how upset he was during Duke week. I think he has a lot of pride and a healthy ego…and he felt he was not getting the respect that he felt he deserved. He had revived a program that was on life support, and to him it seemed like nobody noticed or cared. I think he feels like he did everything he could do here and that next year the team will probably take a step back.

So….he figured at his age he had one move left…so he decided to go to a place where football is a priority…closer to his home…and where he doesn’t have ACC refs doing his games…lol.

He was great for the program…and UConn was great for him. I wish him well with his new school. I also feel pretty good about DB’s ability to hire the right coach.

Unless you think Mora is literally stupid, I don’t see that as a realistic theory. People weren’t paying him enough attention on social media but he didn’t notice that the stadium was full, fans were going crazy and we finished the game with most of them still here? If he craves attention — which I find hard to believe but who knows — the proof of the pudding was in the eating. Your theory is that he didn’t care about the respect he got locally and nationally after they beat Duke because he wasn’t getting enough respect earlier that week for being 5-3 with losses to Delaware and Rice? Please.

My guess is he just wants to live in the Rockies. Second theory is that he wants to compete for the G-5 playoff spot every year, and he can do that at CSU and can’t do it here (combination of conference affiliation, regional recruiting differences and/or inside and outside financial support). But his ego needed more feeding?

 

[maple]

Whoever said that we won’t be making a power conference anytime soon…respectfully, I disagree.

I’m just going to be frank: the ACC and Big 12 are fighting their own battles right now, as they are currently worried about retaining members. UConn is power-conference ready, we’re just waiting for the current realignment to settle. I wouldn’t be surprised if Yormark and DB have the occasional discussion about adding UConn to the B12. I think part of the reason Mora left is because he realized it will be 2-3 years before we get solidified into a P4—given his west coast connections, he may have realized it would be time better spent closer to home.

Look, I want to believe, but I can’t help but feel like if any P4 truly wanted us, we’d there by now.

 

[cthog]

Unless you think Mora is literally stupid, I don’t see that as a realistic theory. People weren’t paying him enough attention on social media but he didn’t notice that the stadium was full, fans were going crazy and we finished the game with most of them still here? If he craves attention — which I find hard to believe but how knows — the proof of the pudding was in the eating. Your theory is that he didn’t care about the respect he got locally and nationally after they beat Duke because he wasn’t getting enough respect earlier that week for being 5-3 with losses to Delaware and Rice? Please.

My guess is he just wants to live in the Rockies. Second theory is that he wants to compete for the G-5 playoff spot every year, and he can do that at CSU and can’t do it here (combination of conference affiliation, regional recruiting differences and/or inside and outside financial support). But his ego needed more feeding?

Ant not even just the playoff spot but the ability to play for a conference championship. He came here wanting to help us get into a power conference. He did his job, but we never got the call and who knows when it will come.

 

[HuskyAlum012]

Do people forget that Jim Mora never even bought a house here? We all knew that this was only a temporary position, even Coach himself.

 

[Gburyhusky]

I want a P4 invite as much as the next guy, however I think that people also need to appreciate and enjoy the success we have had in the current situation (i.e. independence/Big East) and not spend time obsessing or doomcasting about the perils of the future and conference machinations. No one really knows what's going to happen so why not enjoy the successes we have. I realize that life as an independent is challenging but I don't think that the lack of conference membership is what cost us the Coach. In fact there are plenty of successful coaches in good conferences who are taking other jobs (see USF as just one example) so conference membership isnt some magic pill that solves all problems. The average tenure for an FBS coach is this era is the 4-5 year range, and by this standard alone we did pretty well with Mora

 

[huskymedic]

Assisted <<

 

[Exit 4]

More evidence that UConn football has the attention of the highest offices in CT. And for good reason, football drives the CRA bus and that bus is critical for economic development.

 

[Sea Goat]

Mora did a great job. I wish him well. But, it is embarrassing to lose a coach to Colorado State... However, this points up the lack of a major conference problem we have and it's all about football and the dinero.

For well more than a decade, we have been shut out of meaningful conference payouts. For instance, Northwestern alone gets more from the Big 10 than the combined conference payout to all BE members! (approx. $65mm to approx. $57mm) For us, the BE is a joke - only 2 teams in the top 25 for BB, no football and otherwise weak Olympic sports! 9 of its 11 members are small Catholic schools. For those schools, the BE may suit them well. However, UConn simply doesn't fit.

UConn has to figure out a way to get the hell out ASAP! Every day's schedule in the AD's office should include a time slot (however small) to discuss any new conference ideas. We may have stomach investment requirements in certain conferences so our payouts would be curtailed. But, it would be better to swallow that bitter pill now then languish in the BE any longer.

 

[buddy]

Look at the bright side. At least we are not UMass ---- yet. BC is nothing to be proud of either. Northeast / New England college football is not a go to destination. Very little interest from the general public.

Mora did a great job. I wish him well. But, it is embarrassing to lose a coach to Colorado State... However, this points up the lack of a major conference problem we have and it's all about football and the dinero.

For well more than a decade, we have been shut out of meaningful conference payouts. For instance, Northwestern alone gets more from the Big 10 than the combined conference payout to all BE members! (approx. $65mm to approx. $57mm) For us, the BE is a joke - only 2 teams in the top 25 for BB, no football and otherwise weak Olympic sports! 9 of its 11 members are small Catholic schools. For those schools, the BE may suit them well. However, UConn simply doesn't fit.

UConn has to figure out a way to get the hell out ASAP! Every day's schedule in the AD's office should include a time slot (however small) to discuss any new conference ideas. We may have stomach investment requirements in certain conferences so our payouts would be curtailed. But, it would be better to swallow that bitter pill now then languish in the BE any longer.

Can easily turn into UMass. Even worse, UMass without a conference!

 

[Exit 4]

I've over the embarrassment factor. It really can be summed up as a lateral move to get back west. He's 64, this is probably his last ride.

 

[jostar1]

Do people forget that Jim Mora never even bought a house here? We all knew that this was only a temporary position, even Coach himself.

That doesn't mean much. Rhett Lashlee bought a house here and sold it a year later.

 

[UCan3]

I've over the embarrassment factor. It really can be summed up as a lateral move to get back west. He's 64, this is probably his last ride.

I think the 64 yrs old makes this more digestible to me…. He may be in exit mode at this point and just wants to get closer to family.

My only disappointment is that I thought he had bigger ambitions here - to leave a lasting legacy of helping us get into a Power Conference.

He gave up.

 

[huskymedic]

Assisted <<

Hearst version - good read from Mike:



-> “When people are being recruited from your campus it’s typically a good thing,” Benedict said late Wednesday morning, his professional life made abruptly more complicated by word late Tuesday from Mora. “It means you’re having success. Not that you want to go through transitions. Transitions can be very challenging, very difficult, especially in this new world. But this is part of the business. When you have success and you have great coaches, this is part of that paradigm. Whether it was Colorado State, rumored to be Stanford or Cal, the jobs were going to keep coming. Jim has a proven track record of success. Had it not been this one, it could have been another. If it was going to happen, I’m glad we know at this point in time so we can get to a place where we can begin our search for the next leader of this program.” <-

-> The data and things we can put in front of people is totally different than it was last time,” Benedict said. “The fact that we’re competing against the [Power Four] schools that were scheduled is a statement in itself. The support that the university and our donors have provided for NIL/revenue sharing, all those things are critically important. That’s different than last time. We weren’t in this environment. Certainly we can show how recruiting has been impacted, because of NIL. Look at just the guys on our roster this year and the recognition they’re receiving. Those things weren’t happening previously.” <-

-> “Jim accomplished everything we could have expected him to competitively while he was here,” Benedict said. “While I’m very happy for him personally, and certainly very disappointed for UConn, ultimately it’s important that people are happy in their lives. If this is something that is going to benefit him and his family and if this is something he feels is the right move at this point in his career, there’s nothing for me to say other than, ‘I’m happy for you. Congratulations and thank you for your service.’ That’s the way we communicated.

“He obviously knew if there was anything that was important to him at UConn, we could have had that conversation. But that, at least from what I talked to him about, wasn’t really the calculus or what drove this decision.” <-

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Where is this nobody cared about the Duke win and Mora resented it coming from? People were going crazy on social media and regular media about that win and the job Mora has done. To the point of going overboard, he beat Duke not Georgia.

Not after the Duke win…before. Mora was complaining that they were playing Duke that weekend and the media wasn’t asking questions.

 

[J187Money]

There is a point of time in life where your living situation matters more than the money (when you have enough). Obviously he reached that point.

 

[UConnDan97]

There is a point of time in life where your living situation matters more than the money (when you have enough). Obviously he reached that point.

This!

People can try to spin it whatever way they'd like, but it's ultimately this. And quite frankly, the folks here should be happy that this is the reason, because it means we're still on the way up. The next hire is crucial, but we're infinitely better off than we were when we hired him...

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[jostar1]

Hearst version - good read from Mike:



-> “When people are being recruited from your campus it’s typically a good thing,” Benedict said late Wednesday morning, his professional life made abruptly more complicated by word late Tuesday from Mora. “It means you’re having success. Not that you want to go through transitions. Transitions can be very challenging, very difficult, especially in this new world. But this is part of the business. When you have success and you have great coaches, this is part of that paradigm. Whether it was Colorado State, rumored to be Stanford or Cal, the jobs were going to keep coming. Jim has a proven track record of success. Had it not been this one, it could have been another. If it was going to happen, I’m glad we know at this point in time so we can get to a place where we can begin our search for the next leader of this program.” <-

-> The data and things we can put in front of people is totally different than it was last time,” Benedict said. “The fact that we’re competing against the [Power Four] schools that were scheduled is a statement in itself. The support that the university and our donors have provided for NIL/revenue sharing, all those things are critically important. That’s different than last time. We weren’t in this environment. Certainly we can show how recruiting has been impacted, because of NIL. Look at just the guys on our roster this year and the recognition they’re receiving. Those things weren’t happening previously.” <-

-> “Jim accomplished everything we could have expected him to competitively while he was here,” Benedict said. “While I’m very happy for him personally, and certainly very disappointed for UConn, ultimately it’s important that people are happy in their lives. If this is something that is going to benefit him and his family and if this is something he feels is the right move at this point in his career, there’s nothing for me to say other than, ‘I’m happy for you. Congratulations and thank you for your service.’ That’s the way we communicated.

“He obviously knew if there was anything that was important to him at UConn, we could have had that conversation. But that, at least from what I talked to him about, wasn’t really the calculus or what drove this decision.” <-

Thanks to Mike Anthony for getting some quotes from Benedict.