Jim Mora
Jim Mora went 75–57 as a head coach, 2012–2026, at UCLA, UConn and Colorado State. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 2–3); by them his record is 75–56. Share
- Record
- 75–57 career
- Seasons
- 11
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 1 season
- Born
- Nov 19, 1961
- Alma mater
- Washington 1983
- Best season
- 2014 10–3, No. 10
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | UCLA | 9–5 | 1st (South) | Holiday Bowl L | ||
| 2013 | UCLA | 10–3 | T–2nd (South) | Sun Bowl W | 16 | |
| 2014 | UCLA | 10–3 | T–2nd (South) | Alamo Bowl W | 10 | |
| 2015 | UCLA | 8–5 | 3rd (South) | Foster Farms Bowl L | ||
| 2016 | UCLA | 4–8 | T–4th (South) | |||
| 2017 | UCLA coached 11 of 13 games | 5–6 | 4th (South) | |||
| 2018–21: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2022 | UConn | 6–7 | Myrtle Beach Bowl L | |||
| 2023 | UConn | 3–9 | ||||
| 2024 | UConn | 9–4 | Fenway Bowl W | |||
| 2025 | UConn | 9–3 | Fenway (not coached) | |||
| 2026 | Colorado State | 2–4 (Wikipedia: 2–3) | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Skyler BellConsensus All‑American, 2025
Takkarist McKinleyNo. 26 pick, 2017- Datone JonesNo. 26 pick, 2013
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 33 | 14–19 | 42% |
| Against top-10 teams | 4 | 0–4 | 0% |
| Against rivals | 25 | 10–15 | 40% |
| Conference games | 55 | 28–27 | 51% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 6 | 3–3 | 50% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 53 | 30–23 | 57% |
| At home | 65 | 45–20 | 69% |
| On the road | 59 | 26–33 | 44% |
| At neutral sites | 8 | 4–4 | 50% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 69 | 54–15 | 78% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 63 | 21–42 | 33% |
His own 132 games on file, 2012–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike MacIntyre 2013–2023 | 5–2 | Colorado, Florida International | 7 | |
| David Shaw 2012–2017 | 0–7 | Stanford | 7 | |
| Rich Rodriguez 2012–2017 | 5–1 | Arizona | 6 | |
| Kyle Whittingham 2012–2017 | 3–3 | Utah | 6 | |
| Todd Graham 2012–2017 | 3–3 | Arizona State | 6 | |
| Sonny Dykes 2013–2016 | 3–1 | California | 4 | |
| Don Brown 2022–2024 | 3–0 | Massachusetts | 3 | |
| Mike Leach 2012–2016 | 1–2 | Washington State | 3 | |
| Clay Helton 2015–2017 | 0–3 | USC | 3 |
Jim Mora’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Stanfordseries | 7 | 0–7 |
| Arizonaseries | 6 | 5–1 |
| Coloradoseries | 6 | 5–1 |
| Arizona Stateseries | 6 | 3–3 |
| USCseries | 6 | 3–3 |
| Utahseries | 6 | 3–3 |
| Californiaseries | 5 | 3–2 |
| Riceseries | 4 | 3–1 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Washington | Graduate assistant | |
| 1985 | San Diego Chargers NFL | Defensive quality control coach | |
| 1986–88 | San Diego Chargers NFL | Assistant defensive backs | |
| 1989–91 | San Diego Chargers NFL | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1992–96 | New Orleans Saints NFL | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1997–98 | San Francisco 49ers NFL | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1999–2003 | San Francisco 49ers NFL | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2004–06 | Atlanta Falcons NFL | Head coach | |
| 2007–08 | Seattle Seahawks NFL | Assistant head coach and defensive backs coach | |
| 2009 | Seattle Seahawks NFL | Head coach | |
| 2012–17 | UCLA | Head coach | |
| 2021 | UConn | Offensive assistant | |
| 2022–25 | UConn | Head coach | |
| 2026–present | Colorado State | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Don JamesWashington
- Don CoryellSan Diego Chargers
- Dan HenningSan Diego Chargers
- Jim MoraNew Orleans Saints
- Rick VenturiNew Orleans Saints
- Steve MariucciSan Francisco 49ers
- Dennis EricksonSan Francisco 49ers
- Randy EdsallUConn
- Lou SpanosUConn
Assistants who became head coaches
- Jeff JagodzinskiBoston College, Omaha Nighthawks
- Tom CableIdaho, Oakland Raiders
- Dan QuinnAtlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders
- Mike DeBordCentral Michigan
- Tim LewisBirmingham Iron
- Deshaun FosterUCLA
- Lou SpanosUConn
- Marques TuiasosopoWashington
- Vai TauaNevada
- Rip SchererMemphis, James Madison
- Jedd FischUCLA, Arizona, Washington
- Gordon SammisUConn
- and 3 more
Worked under (9)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don James | Washington | 1984 | Graduate assistant | |
| Don Coryell | San Diego Chargers NFL | 1985–86 | 1985: defensive quality control coach; 1986: assistant defensive backs | |
| Dan Henning | San Diego Chargers NFL | 1989–91 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Jim Mora | New Orleans Saints NFL | 1992–96 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Rick Venturi | New Orleans Saints NFL | 1996 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Steve Mariucci | San Francisco 49ers NFL | 1997–2002 | 1997–98: defensive backs coach; 1999–2002: defensive coordinator | |
| Dennis Erickson | San Francisco 49ers NFL | 2003 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Randy Edsall | UConn | 2021 | Offensive assistant | |
| Lou Spanos | UConn | 2021 | Offensive assistant |
Coached under him, later head coaches (15)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Jagodzinski | Atlanta Falcons, 2004: tight ends coach; 2005: offensive line coach | Boston College, Omaha Nighthawks | |
| Tom Cable | Atlanta Falcons, 2006: offensive line coach | Idaho, Oakland Raiders | |
| Dan Quinn | Seattle Seahawks, 2009: assistant head coach and defensive line coach | Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders | |
| Mike DeBord | Seattle Seahawks, 2009: tight ends coach | Central Michigan | |
| Tim Lewis | Seattle Seahawks, 2009: defensive backs coach | Birmingham Iron | |
| Deshaun Foster | UCLA, 2012–13: student assistant; 2014: graduate assistant; 2017: running backs coach | UCLA | |
| Lou Spanos | UCLA, 2012–13: defensive coordinator | UConn | |
| Marques Tuiasosopo | UCLA, 2012: tight ends coach; 2016: quarterbacks coach | Washington | |
| Vai Taua | UCLA, 2014–15: defensive backs coach | Nevada | |
| Rip Scherer | UCLA, 2016–17: tight ends coach; UConn, 2022: senior analyst | Memphis, James Madison | |
| Jedd Fisch | UCLA, 2017: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | UCLA, Arizona, Washington | |
| Gordon Sammis | UConn, 2022–23: offensive line coach; 2024–25: offensive coordinator | UConn | |
| John Allen | UConn, 2022: wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator | Berlin Thunder, Lock Haven | |
| Nick Charlton | UConn, 2022–23: offensive coordinator | Maine | |
| Tyson Summers | Colorado State, 2026: defensive coordinator | Georgia Southern, Colorado State |
Other assistants under him (16)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Clancy Barone | Atlanta Falcons, 2004: offensive line coach; 2005–06: tight ends coach | |
| Mike Johnson | Atlanta Falcons, 2004–05: quarterbacks coach | |
| Robert Prince | Atlanta Falcons, 2004–05: offensive assistant and running backs and tight ends coach; 2006: assistant quarterbacks coach; Seattle Seahawks, 2009: wide receivers coach | |
| Bill Lazor | Seattle Seahawks, 2009: quarterbacks coach | |
| Kasey Dunn | Seattle Seahawks, 2009: running backs coach | |
| Mike Solari | Seattle Seahawks, 2009: offensive line coach | |
| Jeff Ulbrich | UCLA, 2012: special teams coordinator and linebackers coach; 2013: assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and linebackers coach; 2014: defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | |
| Noel Mazzone | UCLA, 2012–15: offensive coordinator | |
| Kennedy Polamalu | UCLA, 2014–15: running backs coach; 2016: offensive coordinator | |
| Tom Bradley | UCLA, 2015–17: defensive coordinator | |
| Jimmie Dougherty | UCLA, 2017: wide receivers coach | |
| Matt Brock | UConn, 2024–25: defensive coordinator | |
| Jeremy Moses | Colorado State, 2026: running backs coach | |
| John Jancek | Colorado State, 2026: outside linebackers coach | |
| Kenny McClendon | Colorado State, 2026: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Pryce Tracy | Colorado State, 2026: offensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | State payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | UConn | head coach | $2,293,325 | ||
| 2024 | UConn | head coach | $1,958,953 | ||
| 2023 | UConn | head coach | $1,705,937 | ||
| 2022 | UConn | head coach | $1,597,098 | ||
| 2017 | UCLA | head coachbonuses up to $1,065,000; $95,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $12,275,000 | $3,550,000 USA Today | ||
| 2016 | UCLA | head coachbonuses up to $1,065,000; $120,000 in bonuses paid | $3,450,000 USA Today | ||
| 2015 | UCLA | head coachbonuses up to $930,000; $145,000 in bonuses paid | $3,350,000 USA Today | ||
| 2014 | UCLA | head coachbonuses up to $930,000 | $3,250,000 USA Today | ||
| 2013 | UCLA | head coachbonuses up to $750,000 | $2,300,000 USA Today via Leeds | ||
| 2012 | UCLA | head coachbonuses up to $750,000 | $1,935,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Connecticut’s state payroll (Open Data Portal): what the state actually paid in the calendar year, salary and special payments together.
Contract pay and the state payroll differ by design: one is the season’s contract, the other what the state paid in a calendar or fiscal year, so a December hire’s short first year, bonuses and camp money paid as special payments, and pay that ran on after he left all show in the payroll.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Mora’s teams went for it on 18% of fourth downs and on 31% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 51% of plays and took 24.0 seconds a play, 2012–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 14 g | UCLA | 24 of 123 20% | 34% | 50% | 22.3 | +0.03 | |
| 2013 13 g | UCLA | 12 of 86 14% | 23% | 42% | 23.5 | +0.14 | |
| 2014 12 g | UCLA | 16 of 102 16% | 30% | 49% | 22.4 | +0.06 | |
| 2015 13 g | UCLA | 12 of 98 12% | 21% | 54% | 20.4 | +0.11 | |
| 2016 12 g | UCLA | 10 of 103 10% | 20% | 62% | 22.6 | −0.06 | |
| 2017 13 g | UCLA | 20 of 96 21% | 36% | 61% | 21.7 | +0.13 | |
| 2022 12 g | UConn | 16 of 92 17% | 32% | 37% | 29.2 | −0.05 | |
| 2023 12 g | UConn | 21 of 99 21% | 41% | 50% | 28.1 | −0.08 | |
| 2024 13 g | UConn | 16 of 104 15% | 26% | 46% | 24.8 | +0.02 | |
| 2025 13 g | UConn | 21 of 96 22% | 43% | 55% | 25.7 | +0.24 | |
| 2026 6 g | Colorado State | 17 of 46 37% | 46% | 57% | 23.7 | +0.24 | |
| All 133 g | 185 of 1045 18% | 31% | 51% | 24.0 | +0.07 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.