Colorado State has its new football coach, and he comes with experience as a head coach in college and the NFL.
Jim Mora was named the 25th head football coach in Colorado State history on Wednesday. He spent the past four years rebuilding the program at UConn, which endured 12 straight seasons with six wins or less before it won nine games and the Fenway Bowl last season. Mora has the Huskies (9-3) bowl-eligible again this year.
He’s replacing former Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell, who was fired in October. Norvell went 18-30 in four seasons with the Rams. Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers has been serving as interim head coach and is expected to lead the team in its regular season finale against Air Force on Friday.
“I am truly humbled to join CSU as we transition to the Pac-12 Conference,” Mora said in a statement. “I am excited to meet the team and look forward to connecting with former players. I can’t wait for our family to become part of the Northern Colorado community.”
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Colorado State, San Diego State, Boise State, Fresno State, and Utah State are leaving the Mountain West to join Oregon State, Washington State, Texas State, and Gonzaga (basketball only) in the new Pac-12 next season.
Mora has another rebuild ahead of him in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Rams have produced a winning record once since 2018, and that was last year when they went 8-5 and lost in the Arizona Bowl.They’re 2-9 and 1-6 in the Mountain West this season.
He’s used to it. UConn went 1-11 the year before he took over and hadn’t been to a bowl game since 2015. Mora took the Huskies to bowl games in three of his four seasons, and he posted back-to-back nine-win seasons at a program that hadn’t won nine games in a season since 2007.
Here’s what you need to know about Colorado State’s new coach.
Who is Jim Mora?
Mora, 64, brings 35 years of coaching experience to Colorado State, including stops as head coach at UConn, UCLA (2012-17), the Seattle Seahawks (2009), and the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06). He also coached defensive backs for the San Diego Chargers, the New Orleans Saints, and the San Francisco 49ers, and he was the 49ers defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2003.
He’s the son of former NFL head coach Jim E. Mora, who coached the New Orleans Saints from 1986 to 1996 and the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2001.
Mora got his first college head coaching gig at UCLA in 2012. He led the Bruins in back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2013 and 2014. He was fired in 2017 after the Bruins went 17-19 in his final three seasons.
Mora led UConn to wins over Boston College and Duke this season, and all three of the Huskies’ losses were in overtime. UConn ranks No. 7 in the country with 301.1 passing yards per game and No. 18 in total offense (460.1 YPG).
What is Jim Mora’s Career Record?
Mora’s overall record as a college coach is 73-53, and his teams are 3-3 in bowl games. He went 27-23 in four seasons at UConn.
His overall record as an NFL head coach is 31-33.
What Is Jim Mora’s Salary?
Colorado State hasn’t released salary information for Mora yet, but he’s making a little more than $2 million this year at UConn, according to a database maintained by USA Today.
He signed a contract extension last year that was supposed to run through 2028 and pay him $10.01 million. Mora’s original five-year contract at UConn paid him $1.5 million in 2022.
Norvell’s salary at Colorado State was $1.9 million this year.
What Is Jim Mora’s Buyout?
Mora does have a $1.5 million buyout if he leaves UConn before Dec. 31, according to CT Insider. That drops to $750,000 if he leaves in 2026 and $250,000 if he leaves in 2027.
