Colorado State hires Jim Mora: Rams to enter new-look Pac-12 with coach who rebuilt UConn program

UConn coach Jim Mora is leaving the program after four seasons to become the next coach at Colorado State, the school announced Wednesday, ending one of the most successful -- and unexpected -- rebuilds in recent college football memory. Huskies athletic director David Benedict said Mora informed him late Tuesday night that he had accepted the Rams' offer, bringing a close to a tenure that pulled UConn from irrelevance to national competitiveness in a short span.

"We are grateful for coach Mora's contributions to UConn over the past four seasons," Benedict said in a release. "He took on the challenge of rebuilding our football program and delivered results that exceeded expectations. Under his leadership, the Huskies won 27 games and achieved bowl eligibility in three of his four seasons, including back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time in program history."

Mora, 64, leaves Storrs with a 27-23 record, including back-to-back nine-win seasons -- the first in program history -- and three bowl berths in four years. UConn completed its regular season schedule this past Saturday with a 9-3 record, with all three losses coming in overtime, and awaits its bowl assignment as an FBS Independent.

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The turnaround marks a stark contrast from the decade that preceded his arrival, when UConn reached only one bowl game over 11 seasons and cycled through multiple coaching staffs. Mora, who spent several years away from the sideline before resurfacing at UConn, not only stabilized the program but expanded its recruiting reach, boosting the school's NIL infrastructure despite competing against resource-rich programs with major conference payouts.

His next challenge is replacing Jay Norvell at Colorado State, which is preparing to move from the Mountain West to the reconfigured Pac-12 under new athletic director John Weber. The Rams have played in just one bowl since 2017 and are on their fourth head coach since 2019. CSU fired Norvell in October after a 2-5 start to his fourth season with the program. Norvell went just 18-26 with the Rams, and Weber has been vocal about elevating Colorado State into a top-tier Group of Six program. The school is expected to back Mora with significant financial resources -- an area where UConn has traditionally been at a disadvantage.

Mora brings a deep résumé to Fort Collins. His 10 college seasons include six at UCLA, where he won at least eight games four times and posted a pair of top-20 finishes. He is still the only coach in 25 years to lead the Bruins to two double-digit win seasons in a tenure.

Mora also authored an 11-5 debut season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2004, reaching the NFC Championship Game, and later served as coach of the Seattle Seahawks for one season in 2009. In total, he has spent nearly two decades in the NFL as a head coach, assistant and coordinator.

UConn, which plays football as an independent, now enters another transition as Benedict said the school will immediately begin a national search for its next coach. Offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis will serve as the Huskies' interim coach as they await a bowl invitation.