UCLA can scratch one name off of their coaching search, as Colorado State is expected to hire UConn head coach and former UCLA head coach Jim Mora as the Rams head coach. Mora was rumored to be in consideration for UCLA’s opening but he’ll head back to the Pac-12 Conference.
Mora was the Bruins head coach from 2012-2017, where he posted a record of 46-30 with two 10-win seasons. UConn hired Mora ahead of the 2022 season and since then he’s had a 27-23 record with the Huskies.
USA TODAY’s Ehsan Kassim wrote about how Mora helped turn around the UConn football program over his tenure in Storrs.
“Before Mora took the UConn job in 2022, the Huskies had not won nine games since 2007. Following a 9-16 mark in his first two seasons, Mora has led UConn to back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2024 and 2025.
In 2025, the Huskies went 9-3, which included wins over ACC foes in Boston College and Duke. All three of UConn’s defeats this season came in overtime.
Colorado State ― which fired Jay Norvell on Oct. 19 ― is joining the Pac-12 next season and looking for stability after cycling through three different head coaches since 2019 in Mike Bobo, Steve Addazio and Norvell.” Kassim wrote.
The news doesn’t only eliminate any chance of a reunion in Westwood, it takes away a job opportunity for UCLA’s interim head coach, Tim Skipper, who will likely be searching for a permanent job over the offseason.
There’s still plenty of candidates left for the Bruins, San Diego State’s Sean Lewis, James Madison’s Bob Chesney and Washington’s Jedd Fisch all remain as head coaching options for the Bruins.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Jim Mora is going back to the Pac-12 but this time with Colorado State
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
