Jim Mora is the latest domino to fall in the college football coaching carousel.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the 64-year-old is leaving his role with UConn to become the next head coach at Colorado State. Mora spent the last four seasons with the Huskies, turning a once-decimated program into one that's qualified for three bowl game appearances over his tenure at the helm.
The son of longtime NFL coach Jim E. Mora and a former college player himself, Mora has had quite a winding road leading to his upcoming tenure at Colorado State. This marks Mora's fifth head coaching job—his third at the collegiate level—and his second with a Power Five conference program as the Rams are set to join the Pac-12 in 2026.
So how did we get here?
Jim Mora Head Coaching Timeline
Atlanta Falcons, 2004 to ‘06
After spending a handful of season as an assistant with the Chargers, his father’s Saints, and the 49ers, Mora earned his first head coaching job with the Falcons in 2004.
Mora led Atlanta to an 11–5 record in his first season at the helm, won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award, and led the Falcons to an NFC championship game appearance before losing to the Eagles with a chance to make the Super Bowl. Two .500-or-worse seasons followed, and Mora was fired following the 2006 campaign.
Seattle Seahawks, 2009
Mora was hired as the Seahawks’ assistant head coach and defensive backs coach following his firing in Atlanta. He then took over as their full-time head coach in 2009 following Mike Holmgren’s retirement, signing a contract through the 2012 season.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks could only muster up a 5–11 record in his first season and—despite there still being three years left on his contract—fired Mora after just one year.
UCLA Bruins, 2012 to ‘17
Following his firing in Seattle, Mora took a three-year hiatus and became a TV analyst before his next head coaching opportunity arrived.
In December of 2011, he was hired as the next head coach at UCLA. Mora led the Bruins to four consecutive bowl game appearances and two AP Top 25 finishes to begin his tenure in L.A. After two straight losing seasons in 2016 and '17, however, he was fired.
UConn Huskies, 2022 to ‘25
Mora took another extended leave from coaching after his firing at UCLA before being hired as UConn’s head coach in 2021.
Coming off a three-season stretch of going an abysmal 4–32, Mora was able to quickly turn the Huskies around. He led UConn to a 6–7 finish in his first season, earning the program its first bowl appearance since 2015, and in '24 delivered its first bowl victory since '09. This season marks UConn’s second straight nine-win campaign under Mora—a performance that has more than earned him a promotion.
Mora now embarks on his next challenge, as he looks to get Colorado State back on track.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jim Mora Timeline: How Turning Around UConn Led to Another Power Five Opportunity.
