UConn's Jim Mora Gives Insight Into His Award-Winning, Program-Altering Season
The UConn Huskies have had one of the more dramatic turnarounds in college football this season, largely due to head coach Jim Mora's leadership.
Coming off a 3-9 season to forget, Mora and company sit at 8-4 with a chance to grab a ninth win when the Huskies head for just their seventh bowl game in their 26-season history. It will be Mora's second appearance in three years.
Mora has had a notable week, collecting both the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Head Coach of the Year award and the FBS Independent/Pac 12 Coach of the Year award presented by College Football Live just days after his 47-42 win over the UMass Minutemen. While some might bask in personal glory, Mora was quick to pass off the credit for an incredible regular season.
"It feels great, and I think it's a tribute to the players and the staff here," Mora told UConn Huskies On SI on Tuesday. "You know, they recognize the head coach's name, but really it's an organizational or program award. And I'm proud of all these people that I work with here, and I'm grateful to have this opportunity to work with them.
"This program, we fought hard. We don't get much recognition. I don't think there are a lot of people out there who realize what kind of year we did have. We were one of only three Group of 5 teams to go undefeated against Group of 5 teams. We played more Power 4 teams than any of the Group of 5 teams."
To Mora's point, three of his four losses were by a combined 15 points. All of which were wire-to-wire dog fights against ACC opponents. Had a couple of pass interferences been correctly called, the Huskies could be sitting at 10-2.
Regardless, a five-win regular-season turnaround is incredibly difficult to achieve, especially without the deep NIL pockets of their FBS competition. The overwhelming reason for UConn's success came from internal development and coaching.
"It just gives you a sense of reward as their coach," Mora said. "And the thing about this team is, these guys want to be coached. They're not entitled. I think one of the coaches' greatest gifts is being able to coach a team that wants to be coached, so I'm grateful for that, and it is rewarding.
Mora will have to wait a few more days before his bowl-game opponent is revealed, where he'll attempt to claim just the third nine-win season in program history.
At some point, you'd imagine big-time Power 4 programs and possibly even NFL franchises will come calling. Mora has been an NFL defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, NFL head coach with both the Atlanta Falcons -- who he took to an NFC Championship -- and the Seattle Seahawks. His most recent gig before his tenure at UConn was a six-year stint as the head coach of UCLA, where he was 76-46.
For now, Mora has made it clear that he is focused on the Huskies, and immediately started watching transfer portal film after our conversation.
More NCAA: UConn Huskies Star Forward Ruled Out Versus Baylor Due To Concussion
Scott Neville runs "UConn Huskies On SI." The Merrimack College graduate is the publisher for a bevy of sites in the On SI landscapes after early success with "Boston Red Sox On SI" led to expansion. Before he was given the opportunity to join the On SI Media Group, he was developing his skillset at one of the top regional sports networks in the United States, NESN, where he covered all sports. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: scott@wtfsports.org