Former NFL head coach Jim Mora has been named the next head football coach of the University of Connecticut, athletic director David Benedict announced Thursday.
Mora will become the 32nd head coach in the program’s history, which dates back to 1896. He takes over the team from former head coach Randy Edsall, who stepped down from the position earlier this year after the team’s significant struggles in recent years. UConn, which currently is an independent football program, is 1-8 this season.
Mora will be designated as an assistant coach through the end of the 2021 UConn football season, allowing for him to carry out various duties, including recruiting responsibilities, through Nov. 27. Â He will officially begin his tenure as head football coach on Nov. 28.
“Getting to know Jim Mora over the last several days has been a terrific experience,” Benedict said. Â “Jim is a proven winner, a man of integrity, and he possesses the experience and the energy to lead our football program back to success. Â Jim is excited and undaunted by this challenge, and we both know that this program has great potential. I’m certain that, under Coach Mora’s leadership, UConn football will once again realize that potential.”
Mora has agreed to a five-year deal through the 2026 season, and will earn $1.5 million during his first year. The agreement also includes the opportunity for Mora to earn an additional $200,000 annually in performance incentives.Â
Mora, 59, brings 31 years of coaching experience in both the college ranks and the NFL to Storrs. Â He has 10 years of head coaching experience, including six as the head coach of UCLA where he accumulated a 46-30 overall record and a 29-24 mark in Pac-12 play. Â
Mora led the Bruins to the 2012 Pac-12 South Championship and won the 2013 Sun Bowl and 2014 Alamo Bowl. Â The Bruins were ranked as high as No. 7 nationally during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.Â
He was also previously the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks in the NFL.
