Jim Mora Is Reportedly Leaving UConn For Colorado State And That Should Be a Wake-Up Call For UConn

I love this picture. 

Taken during UConn's thrilling 37-34 win over Duke earlier this month, it shows a packed Rentschler Field in East Hartford. You get the New England fall foliage in the background. The fall sun hits the stadium perfectly in the late afternoon. Just a beautiful shot from Chris Grosse, who posted it on X.com

But most impressive - and something that might have seemed IMPOSSIBLE over the years with UConn football -  is the 38,106 piled into The Rent to watch a big college football game in November. This was a 'basketball school' where fans, alumni, and media openly suggested either dropping football or returning to FCS, rather than trying to build something bigger.

Instead, UConn Football just put together back-to-back 9-win seasons for the first time in school history.  

And those results and the fantastic picture above don't happen without head coach Jim Mora. He was the right fit at the right time for UConn. He came in and rebuilt the program in a matter of years, seemingly with no drama, and kept talented players like WR Skyler Bell (one of three finalists for the 2025 Biletnikoff Award) at UConn rather than let them leave through the portal for bigger programs. Jim Mora was a great coach for UConn. 

But...COLORADO STATE? Really??

I'm not naive; it was likely that a Mora would get strong offers this offseason. I mean, this is a damn good resume. 

Plus, he has NFL experience. So I figured UConn might have a tough time keeping him if a good Power 4 job came open and a smart Athletic Director realized he could rebuild for them, as he did in East Hartford. 

But again, Colorado State? A team moving to the Pac-12 and in real rebuild mode? Really? 

That fucking hurts. And it should serve as a massive wake-up call for UConn Athletics; it's time to find a conference for football. 

As an Independent, there's no big conference TV money for the program. No natural, in-conference rivals. You win nine or ten games, and you get a good Bowl Game. If you run the table and somehow go undefeated, you're hoping that it's a down year for the College Football Playoff, and maybe you get in there, but that's a massive long shot. 

As a program, you're just a stepping stone for the coach. And probably, eventually, the AD. The priority has been basketball and the Big East, I get it. But wait till these big football programs really start to put their NIL money to use in basketball. I mean, Villanova hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament in three years. Georgetown? Four seasons. Butler? Five for them. UConn vs. St. John's is awesome for college basketball, but the Big East has lost some prestige. 

This is a HUGE hire for UConn. I've lived through Bob Diaco. I've lived through Randy Edsall 2.0. I can't do that again. And quite frankly, the program can't either. 

I've stared at this screen for five minutes trying to come up with some names that might make sense for UConn…But I have no clue. UConn's offense was good when Joe Moorhead was here; he's at Akron. Gordon Sammis is already here, running a good offense. Is he a real candidate? Chip Kelly started at UNH and has New England and NFL ties; he might be a fit. 

But as big as the next head coach is, the conference landing spot feels just as important. 

If not for Gene DeFilippo and Boston College, UConn would already be in the ACC. He and they blocked UConn from conference expansion years ago. “We didn’t want them in,’’ DeFilippo said. “It was a matter of turf. We wanted to be the New England team.’’ Screw Boston College, forever. 

Since then, UConn has taken over as New England's team in both basketball and football and should be the first call if the ACC expands again. I like the Big East rivalries, but the old Big East we grew up on is dead. Bring on the ACC. 

But until then, as an Independent, there's a ceiling on football. And any success will welcome poaching of both coaching and playing talent.

Maybe UConn is okay with that? They shouldn't be. You just lost a good head coach to Colorado State. 

If you're okay with that and a yearly ceiling on the football program, then stay Independent in football and stay in the Big East in Basketball. But if you want to grow this thing and build something where the Jim Mora's of the world want to stay, it's time for UConn to find a conference for its football team.