UConn football coach Jim Mora on what it will take for his vision of the program to become a reality… | Page 4 | The Boneyard

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

I always thought people pretending mora being early 60s would keep him here was weird. He’d have around 10-15 years of coaching left in him if his health keeps up.
 
Kolumbo said:
Those are all good points and I think his vision, our vision, is that UCONN Football plays in a power conference like the ACC. That takes winning and it takes money. Maybe he is just reminding people that our .500 record is fine and all but the Husky Revolution takes prolonged and significant investment. We are either 100% committed to it or we aren't. At this point it really is a gamble because no matter how much we spend, we don't know when or if that invitation will be coming. It certainly won't be coming if don't commit to it.

I don't understand why Will Aldam posted the abbreviated version of the interview and hasn't posted the question. We are all in the dark here.
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Reasonable response. Thanks for not being snarky haha. I get people are passionate about this. I sat around until the very end of the Houston game last year, ugly as it was, and made my wife too, so that we could clap for the team as they left the field. I want the program to be successful, but maybe I'm just too risk averse and content with mediocrity. Either way, I think I need to show myself the door cause in my honest attempt at conversation I'm just pushing people towards blowing a gasket.
 
RC111 said:
UConn is a football independent. And it earns basketball money. All of the schools you're likely thinking of -- any of the old Big East, Cincy from the AAC, TCU, etc etc etc -- are and were affiliated with conferences when they got invited and make way more than we do. Of course they spend more than we do. We would have made more money from the Big East TV deal that was turned down (and killed the conference) ages ago than we make now. That's a crazy disparity in finances.

It sucks being the debbie downer in the room, and no one will like me for saying it, but I legitimately don't see where the money comes from and when it gets paid down. Donors will make up some of it, sure, but I don't think it's a coincidence that student fees and overall cost of attendance have increased exponentially at the same time we've been running a colossal athletic deficit.
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I'm not knocking you, you bring up legit points. But it's a chicken or the egg scenario. There are no guarantees that if they spend they will get into the desired FB conference. It is a guarantee that if they don't they will never go anywhere.

Houston, Cincinnati and UCF were in the AAC with us and we're providing massive institutional support to athletics and football. Their bet paid off. Houston in particular had quite subsidy.
 
RC111 said:
Reasonable response. Thanks for not being snarky haha. I get people are passionate about this. I sat around until the very end of the Houston game last year, ugly as it was, and made my wife too, so that we could clap for the team as they left the field. I want the program to be successful, but maybe I'm just too risk averse and content with mediocrity. Either way, I think I need to show myself the door cause in my honest attempt at conversation I'm just pushing people towards blowing a gasket.
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no way. u say legit and logical observations, which in fact may rule the day. im just shilling for a serious effort at the couch cushion search.
i found a c-note there once.
it's also true that mora's money pitch at ucla worked, and they landed a donor whale to spend millions on the program.
 
RC111 said:
I didn't say we spend too much. That would be an opinion. I said we spend significantly more than we take in. I don't know the exact deficit, but it has been quoted in the thread, it is astronomical, it is not sustainable, and it needs to be made up from... somewhere.
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The don’t understand your point. Are you saying that our current deficit is fine?
 
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RC111 said:
UConn is a football independent. And it earns basketball money. All of the schools you're likely thinking of -- any of the old Big East, Cincy from the AAC, TCU, etc etc etc -- are and were affiliated with conferences when they got invited and make way more than we do. Of course they spend more than we do. We would have made more money from the Big East TV deal that was turned down (and killed the conference) ages ago than we make now. That's a crazy disparity in finances.

It sucks being the debbie downer in the room, and no one will like me for saying it, but I legitimately don't see where the money comes from and when it gets paid down. Donors will make up some of it, sure, but I don't think it's a coincidence that student fees and overall cost of attendance have increased exponentially at the same time we've been running a colossal athletic deficit.
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UCONN has a history of making the most of its opportunities. Basketball in the Big East. Hockey in Hockey East. Even football in a big way in the Big East. UCONN Football will thrive in the right situation and getting there will take commitment. I am sure HCJM and AD David Benedict are both behind this.
 
I could see bumping Mora up to 2 mil with incentives. Then scrounge together whatever you can for the assistants. But I don’t think he’s accomplished enough to make any more demands.
 
CL82 said:
The don’t understand your point. Are you saying that our current deficit is fine?
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I said it is astronomical and unsustainable -- does that sound "fine"?

At some point we will need to find some more Peters to pay Paul.
 
businesslawyer said:
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.
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A third could be this is simply good salesmanship. An appreciation for the moment and not letting it pass into the offseason without squeezing all the juice you can out of it. It would seem to me — the best time to sell UConn football (donations, tickets for your last home game, merch, whatever) would be when you’re on the verge of post season play; when media and former players are creating buzz; when your casual fan starts hearing at work or in conversation what we’ve been seeing and feeling for weeks.

A bowl game isn’t certain. We could get waxed by Liberty next week, or worse, limp out of West Point to 5-7. All that’s certain is that the team has never had more attention in Mora’s tenure here than it does right now, and seemingly everyone agrees Mora is our guy and respects what he has to say. If you can get people to feel like they need to donate or pledge to buy bowl tickets (what convenient timing) by having Mora give a gut check, why wouldn’t you do it? Arguably that is part of Mora’s job as Head Coach. Fire up your players, yes - but also fire up your fans and donors. And right now he has the good will and credibility to make people listen.

And I believe Mora is completely aligned with Benedict. Benedict spent a week out on Mora’s ranch during the interview. They talked about everything. Mora is not finding out things about UConn’s resources that he wasn’t informed of. I have to imagine they’ve discussed effective ways and times to lean on donors.
 
Kolumbo said:
UCONN has a history of making the most of its opportunities. Basketball in the Big East. Hockey in Hockey East. Even football in a big way in the Big East. UCONN Football will thrive in the right situation and getting there will take commitment. I am sure HCJM and AD David Benedict are both behind this.
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I hope so. If it's coordinated, and Benedict knew, that doesn't bother me as much. Others have said this, but the cynic in me read it as setting the stage for a departure if we couldn't deliver things that are way beyond our means to deliver. That might be unfair of me, considering how hard he's worked already, and for how little.
 
Huskyforlife said:
I could see bumping Mora up to 2 mil with incentives. Then scrounge together whatever you can for the assistants. But I don’t think he’s accomplished enough to make any more demands.
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So you are OK paying Mora less than Diaco would have made in 2020 when Mora has totally changed the narrative at UConn and he has had surprising initial success?
 
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RC111 said:
I said it is astronomical and unsustainable -- does that sound "fine"?

At some point we will need to find some more Peters to pay Paul.
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Well, you said that you didn’t say it was too much, and now you’re saying it is too much. So, you do think it’s too high. OK, then let me read ask my question. What do you think it should be?
 
CL82 said:
Well, you said that you didn’t say it was too much, and now you’re saying it is too much. So, you do think it’s too high. OK, then let me read ask my question. What do you think it should be?
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"Astronomical" simply means a lot. I think any person with sensible financial health would think that spending twice as much as you earn in a year is "a lot" and not sustainable for a prolonged period. You obviously disagree, but I'm amazed that's the hill you want to make your stand on. I'd challenge you to run your own household that way for a decade and see how you feel about it.

I'll tell you, to the cent, how much we should spend when you tell me, to the cent: how much extra UConn can afford to borrow, who we borrow it from now, who will pay for it in the future, and when they will pay. To the cent. UConn students have been paying 5 million a year directly to fund the deficit for athletics (if not more, cause really a huge chunk of the university's money comes from them).
 
RC111 said:
"Astronomical" simply means a lot. I think any person with sensible financial health would think that spending twice as much as you earn in a year is "a lot" and not sustainable for a prolonged period. You obviously disagree, but I'm amazed that's the hill you want to make your stand on. I'd challenge you to run your own household that way for a decade and see how you feel about it.

I'll tell you, to the cent, how much we should spend when you tell me, to the cent: how much extra UConn can afford to borrow, who we borrow it from now, who will pay for it in the future, and when they will pay. To the cent. UConn students have been paying 5 million a year directly to fund the deficit for athletics (if not more, cause really a huge chunk of the university's money comes from them).
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So, let me ask again, now that we’ve established that you think the university spending too much on athletics, how much do you think they should spend? It doesn’t have to be to the penny, just roughly. Should we cut any sport that cost more than it earns? I just want to get a sense for the basis for your opinion.
 
Am I the only one annoyed about the lack of context?

This should be lede story Monday.

What question prompted the answer?

What was the discussion?

What exactly is he talking About? In what department does university have to spend more (food, amenities for players, NIL, recruiting budget, roster wise?).

Essentially, what infrastructure and spending. Needs are holding back building a consistently good team.

I don’t know. They have excellent facilities, new locker room. Dorm situations? Is it how big they go with recruiting budget? Is it spending more on cost of attendance?

These things are what I would like to know.

In fairness to Benedict, he has had presidential instability for the last 4 years. Hard for him to ask for more money with no hope. Now we have hope, and you have to make the case.

I like Mora’s ideas on marketing. You want to brand the program, make football be everywhere. Do everything you can to get people in the seats .
 
CL82 said:
So, let me ask again, now that we’ve established that you think the university spending too much on athletics, how much do you think they should spend? It doesn’t have to be to the penny, just roughly. Should we cut any sport that cost more than it earns? I just want to get a sense for the basis for your opinion.
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Now that we've established you want the university to spend money it doesn't have, I'll repeat my questions: how much extra can UConn afford to borrow, who do we borrow it from now, who will pay for it in the future, and when will they have to pay it back by?

I do not have an answer to a question as complex as yours, but if the answer exists, it is in this data I've linked to. It's not flattering towards UConn's situation, as compared to other state universities and similarly performing football schools. I guess we can just increase tuition and student fees until we find the breaking point, or get it from the state until it is no longer politically possible to do so. That's where we max out, no?

Sportico’s Intercollegiate Finance Database
 
JM deserves 3 million per year. Assistant coaches need 250 k per year and coordinators 500 k. Although I expect we will now get our share of the top talent in New England with BC sliding into oblivion, we need a national recruiting budget.

As far as getting a P5 membership, forget the ACC. We are far better off in the Big 12 with WVU and Cincinnati. If we had stayed in the AAC, I believe we would be in the Big 12 today, given that we really bring both the NYC and Boston TV markets.
 
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If Mora is being vocal because he is aligned with Benedict on the need for the school to be more supportive of the football program...then cool...keep pushing. That's how you get results. He has earned it.

If Mora is pushing because he is unhappy with what he has seen from the school...and he is basically saying they need to step up or he is gone...well that would suck.

He needs to clarify what he is saying. Is it a threat...or is he just trying to accelerate improvement?

I think...and hope...it's the latter.
 
Mora gave an absolute honest answer and if that sounds like him asking for more money for the program, that is exactly what it is and don't kid yourself otherwise.

Who is he asking it from? Not sure exactly. Could be all kinds of people in the wider audience. However, if you want to move upward then money has to be spent. If you want to compete with the big boys and pretend you are a big boy you have to actually do what they do. You have to invest in facilities and resources.

The best way to look like an athlete is not a body suit and a tan in a can. Its by working out 3-4 hours a day and getting your nutrition in check.

The best way to be a big boy football team is to invest in those items and it is going to take money. Now who should he ask it from? The tax payer? Big name donors? I don't know. However, he would be irresponsible not to lay the ground work towards those ends. If you want to be 3-9 and contemplating calling up the Colonial Athletic Association you know what to do. If you really want to be "Big 10" then you know what to do.
 
Could be a message of dissatisfaction with the fan base and budget. Could be a coordinated wordsmith from him and AD.

Either way, we’re 5-5 with a ranked opponent visiting on Saturday with a chance to be bowl eligible. Believe it or not this is a massive game for the program and the state. We need to get 25k+ to the Rent v. Liberty at the very least.

This is a well-timed message asking for the fanbase and funding to step up. Why would Mora want to stay if the school and the fanbase aren’t serious?
 
RC111 said:
Now that we've established you want the university to spend money it doesn't have, I'll repeat my questions: how much extra can UConn afford to borrow, who do we borrow it from now, who will pay for it in the future, and when will they have to pay it back by?

I do not have an answer to a question as complex as yours, but if the answer exists, it is in this data I've linked to. It's not flattering towards UConn's situation, as compared to other state universities and similarly performing football schools. I guess we can just increase tuition and student fees until we find the breaking point, or get it from the state until it is no longer politically possible to do so. That's where we max out, no?

Sportico’s Intercollegiate Finance Database
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Lol, Got it, you don’t have an opinion you’re just looking to troll.
 
Couple things:

"Nowhere close to where we need to be to get the top guys" (context was recruiting).

- I hope when JM signed here he didn't seriously think we would ever be recruiting the "top guys" when we are stuck in G5 status and we certainly don't need the "top guys" to be over .500 when 65% of our schedule is a G5 schedule (as it should be given we are currently a G5 team)

- Shouldn't recruiting improve significantly without anymore money being thrown at it just by winning and improving our program's image?

No doubt what he is really saying is give me and my staff a big fat raise or we are gone. Which is fine, he deserves a raise, but lets face it if its maximum money he is after we really can't compete at the top level with our current (lack of) revenue situation.
 
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JohnFSilver said:
Am I the only one annoyed about the lack of context?

This should be lede story Monday.

What question prompted the answer?

What was the discussion?

What exactly is he talking About? In what department does university have to spend more (food, amenities for players, NIL, recruiting budget, roster wise?).

Essentially, what infrastructure and spending. Needs are holding back building a consistently good team.

I don’t know. They have excellent facilities, new locker room. Dorm situations? Is it how big they go with recruiting budget? Is it spending more on cost of attendance?

These things are what I would like to know.

In fairness to Benedict, he has had presidential instability for the last 4 years. Hard for him to ask for more money with no hope. Now we have hope, and you have to make the case.

I like Mora’s ideas on marketing. You want to brand the program, make football be everywhere. Do everything you can to get people in the seats .
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Your perspective is spot on need more context
 
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Glass half-full comment:

About 80% of FBS should be doing this exact review right now. The only ones left out are the usual playoff suspects (top of SEC, Clemson, and a few others), and the ones who are satisfied in their status (the MAC, service academies).

Most of the sport can't reasonably be expected to compete at the highest level. Especially in this conference realignment saga, schools need to know their aspirations, and what gets them there.

Mora's comment could be used on really any of those 80%, it's just that our goals and realignment situation makes things a little more urgent.
 
I never got the feeling the school cheaped out post RE 1.0, I mean both PP and Disco were on more money than Mora is now, and I'm sure the football budget was on the lower P5 then. We only really started to cut back on expenses when RE 2.0 came in, but I felt that was more a case of having to pay Diacos buyout and not having P5 money to do it.

I will say, I don't expect us to suddenly double to football budget over night. I do think we can increase the assistant pool by 500k (more if donors put in), and then get a plan in place to eventually ramp up to bottom P5 money.

Lastly, for those saying we should use CT surplus money on the football team, this ain't Mississippi. We have a lot more needs we can use the money for than that.
 
How Sway?! said:
I never got the feeling the school cheaped out post RE 1.0, I mean both PP and Disco were on more money than Mora is now, and I'm sure the football budget was on the lower P5 then. We only really started to cut back on expenses when RE 2.0 came in, but I felt that was more a case of having to pay Diacos buyout and not having P5 money to do it.

I will say, I don't expect us to suddenly double to football budget over night. I do think we can increase the assistant pool by 500k (more if donors put in), and then get a plan in place to eventually ramp up to bottom P5 money.

Lastly, for those saying we should use CT surplus money on the football team, this ain't Mississippi. We have a lot more needs we can use the money for than that.
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You are misinformed then.

They cheaped out on PP and Diaco, who got everything he wanted shot down (crazy?).

Edsall 2.0? Cheaped out would have been welcome. Downright sabotage level. They needed a Sunday collection plate to fund the program even before Covid.

Randy raised the money for the new locker rooms himself.

The entire football apparatus collapsed after move to aac. They just stopped promoting football program on many ways. Ticket marketing would be No. 1.
 
We just need the D'Amelio's to get a lot richer, a lot faster, and this problem solves itself!
 
History Geek said:
Giving this year's relative success, and a 5-5 record on this date, today is the perfect day to mention this.
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No, it isn't. One can't seem to enjoy a decent UConn win these days without someone putting the touch on you next day. Mora has to win at least one of the last two now.
 
I like his frankness and aggression on the subject. He is striking while the iron is hot, as he should. When people question why we’d make the investment, the answers are all around you. We didn’t play to win and now Cincy and UCF are in the B12.

You need to hire the right people and pay them. That gets you a decent ROI. Underinvesting makes for a bad product and is ultimately just burning money.
 
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