Behind UConn’s pursuit of Jim Mora
Former NFL coach wasn’t on UConn’s radar, but he quickly emerged as Huskies’ top choice
It would be misguided to say Jim Mora was low on Dave Benedict’s radar when the UConn athletic director set out two months ago to find the school’s next football coach.
Truth is, he wasn’t even a candidate.
So how did Mora, who has been out of the profession since 2017 and working in TV, convince Benedict
that he’s the right person to tackle one of the country’s biggest rebuilding projects?
It started simply enough — with a pitch.
“I can’t say specifically exactly how or who gave me his contact information,” Benedict said Thursday, “but someone did bring his name up to me and said, ‘Hey, this is what this program needs.’ At that point in time, I certainly was aware of who Coach Mora was, but he wasn’t necessarily on my shortlist of candidates.
“It became very clear to me that as we began to have conversations, the type of person he is, the great experiences he’s had along the way, not just as a head coach but also an assistant coach. He grew up in the life, so to speak. He’s been and traveled all around the country during his youth as well as his professional career.
“With all of that in place, and his demonstration of significant interest in our program, it made sense for us to get together.”
Mora — introduced Thursday via Zoom as Randy Edsall’s successor — is a household name with more than three decades of experience in college and the pros. He most recently was the head coach at UCLA, where he posted a 46-30 record with four bowl appearances between 20122017 and had a knack for recruiting elite talent. He produced 30 NFL draft picks during that span, more than any other Pac-12 school.
Before that, Mora had two stints as an NFL head coach, first with the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-06,