The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Mora

Followed Randy Edsall. Jim Mora moved UConn from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 4 seasons.

Peak, then fade
73–53
2012–now · 3 stints
← all coaches

In his own words

He appreciates everything
Collegian · · 3 days after Colorado State's 2026 opener
We have to enjoy this for 24 hours, and then we need to get to the next challenge
Collegian3 days after the 35–13 opener
That one’s behind us
Collegian3 days after the 35–13 opener
They run a unique triple-option scheme
Collegian3 days after the 35–13 opener
We need to just be able to adjust a little bit quicker
Collegian3 days after the 35–13 opener
Let me tell you what (Vick) did better than the three touchdown catches — his blocking was outstanding down the field
Collegian3 days after the 35–13 opener
Looking across the field and seeing 17,500 students … seeing them storm the field, you know, and celebrate with their classmates, that’s what college football is all about
Collegianthe day after the 35–13 opener
It is my experience, that the best thing you can do with any game, so that you avoid ups and downs during a season that you see with teams, is to keep it about us
Collegian4 days before the opener
They’re tough; they’re physical; they’re disciplined; (and) they play smart football
Collegian4 days before the opener
We will let (fans) know when we ultimately decide for sure, which will be sometime right after kickoff
Collegian4 days before the opener
There is no top to the mountain
Collegian
As a team, in terms of their attitude, they’re understanding what it is going to take for us to be successful
Collegian
It’s been easy to adjust because I know how (Mora) coaches and holds everybody to a standard
Farrar · Collegian
The past nine months, Coach Mora made us be at the facility quite a bit
Hejny · Collegian

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerUCLAUCONNCOLORADO STPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelUCLA, 2012: 9-5, National Program II2012UCLA, 2013: 10-3, National Program I2013UCLA, 2014: 10-3, Power Program III2014UCLA, 2015: 8-5, Power Program III2015UCLA, 2016: 4-8, Power Program III2016UCLA, 2017: 5-6, Power Program III2017+11.0UConn, 2022: 6-7, Regional Program V2022UConn, 2023: 3-9, Regional Program V2023UConn, 2024: 9-4, Regional Program IV2024UConn, 2025: 9-3, Regional Program IV2025+5.2Colorado State, 2026: in progress, Regional Program IV2026+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 3rd career season — faster than 46% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #194 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

UCLA, 6 seasons
+11.0
National Program II → Power Program III.
UConn, 4 seasons (active)
+5.2
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV.

Style position and drift

Where each stint’s offense sat between run-first and pass-first, and how far it moved from one season to the next. The band is that stint’s real season-to-season range, not a fixed-width box.

40%50%60%UCLA2012–2017▲ 13.6ptUConn2022–2025▲ 18.4ptColorado State2026–2026– 0.0pt
Pass rate — share of offensive plays that were pass attemptsfirst covered seasonmost recent covered seasonfull season-to-season range (3+ covered seasons)
How much that is, against every other stint

Season-to-season pass-rate range for all 258 FBS coaching stints with at least three covered seasons, 2014–2025.

Typical stint7.010.2 median13.9middle half of all stints
UCLA15.0pt#53 of 258 · more than most
UConn18.4pt#18 of 258 · more than most

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

3–2 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against David Shaw.

Rivalry record
3–2
60.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
19–18
51.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
2–1
66.7%
Rivalry ledger
USC2–250%
Wyoming1–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. David Shaw0–6
6 meetings, 2012–2016
’12 L’12 L’13 L’14 L · blew a 7-pt lead’15 L’16 L · blew a 7-pt lead
0% win rate across a real, 6-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
2–1 66.7%
Power Program
10–16 38.5%
National Program
18–12 60.0%
Regional Program
17–13 56.7%

His own effect, isolated

A statistical estimate of this coach’s contribution to team performance, separated from that season’s roster talent, returning production, and his coordinators — pooled across his whole head-coaching career.

Offense marginal impact
+0.00
#152 of 319 · a typical amount
Defense marginal impact
+0.10
#95 of 325 · a typical amount

Model fit as of 2026-09-04.

Coaching career

2026–now
Colorado State
too new to grade yet

18th-best Colorado State tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Jay Norvell (2022–2025).

Roster construction · portal era

A portal-built roster.

Portal arrivals
32
3.1★ avg rating
Portal departures
38
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-6
#7 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in

Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.

A typical class-year mix of incoming transfers.

Avg. size (raw)
6′3″, 247 lbs
across 22 of 32 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+1.9 lbs
#186 of 255 · a typical amount
Avg. class year
Jr
#110 of 255 · a typical amount
Top states: NJ (2), WA (2), MA (2), FL (2), SC (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
52.0
position-weighted
Talent lost
53.8
position-weighted
Net
-1.8
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Hauss Hejny (QB) from Oklahoma State
Biggest loss: Jackson Brousseau (QB) to California
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Linebacker via the portal
75%
#10 of 225 stints
Buys Tight end via the portal
83%
#10 of 188 stints
0–0
2022–now
UConncaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV
Jim Mora moved UConn from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 4 seasons.

5th-best UConn tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Recruiter or developer?

Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.

Offense vs. talent
-0.4 pts
#115 of 208 · a typical amount
Defense vs. talent
+2.7 pts
#88 of 208 · a typical amount
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.

Followed Randy Edsall (2000–2021).

Season2022202320242025Trend
Record & result
Record6–73–99–40–1
PostseasonL bowlW bowlL bowl
Recruiting rank#111#123#118#114
Style — pass rate
Pass rate34.549.243.752.9
Coordinators
OCNick CharltonNick CharltonGordon SammisGordon Sammis
DCLou SpanosMatt BrockMatt Brock
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense13144786
Defense6130814
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only)
1st-down pass%21.941.240.252.0
Red-zone pass%30.538.038.142.7
4th-down go%opp. territory32.425.714.032.6
Roster construction · portal era

A typical amount of portal roster-building.

Portal arrivals
68
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
72
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-4
#57 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in

Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.

Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.

Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 228 lbs
across 58 of 68 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+2.3 lbs
#176 of 255 · a typical amount
Avg. class year
Sr
#29 of 255 · more than most
Top states: GA (8), CA (7), FL (4), TX (3), MD (3)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
55.9
position-weighted
Talent lost
55.5
position-weighted
Net
+0.5
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Nick Evers (QB) from Wisconsin
Biggest loss: Steven Krajewski (QB) to Georgia State
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
211 lbs
6′2″ avg · #439 of 767 · a typical amount
Running back
199 lbs
5′10″ avg · #642 of 791 · less than most
Wide receiver
193 lbs
6′0″ avg · #398 of 791 · a typical amount
Tight end
248 lbs
6′5″ avg · #248 of 731 · a typical amount
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
303 lbs
6′6″ avg · #613 of 779 · less than most
D-line
271 lbs
6′4″ avg · #651 of 753 · less than most
Linebacker
227 lbs
6′2″ avg · #465 of 772 · a typical amount
Cornerback
188 lbs
6′0″ avg · #505 of 771 · a typical amount
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Interior line via the portal
67%
#27 of 224 stints
Buys ATH via the portal
17%
#30 of 146 stints
Postseason detail2022: Lost to Marshall 14–28 Myrtle Beach Bowl2024: Beat North Carolina 27–14 Wasabi Fenway Bowl2025: Lost to Army 16–41 Wasabi Fenway Bowl

4 NFL Draft picks: Travis Jones (2022), Christian Haynes (2024), Chase Lundt (2025), Skyler Bell (2026)

1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Skyler Bell (2025)

27–23
2012–2017
UCLAcaretakerborderline
National Program II → Power Program III
Jim Mora moved UCLA from National Program II to Power Program III in 6 seasons.

10th-best UCLA tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Recruiter or developer?

Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.

Offense vs. talent
-5.8 pts
#135 of 208 · a typical amount
Defense vs. talent
-6.6 pts
#132 of 208 · a typical amount
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.

Followed Rick Neuheisel (2008–2011) · succeeded by Chip Kelly (2018–2023).

Season201220132014201520162017Trend
Record & result
Record9–510–310–38–54–85–6
PostseasonW bowlL bowlL bowl
Recruiting rank#18#12#13#20
Style — pass rate
Pass rate43.952.658.957.4
Coordinators
OCNoel MazzoneNoel MazzoneKennedy PolamaluJedd Fisch
DCJeff UlbrichTom BradleyTom BradleyTom Bradley
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense70742578
Defense57668817
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only)
1st-down pass%40.248.454.858.5
Red-zone pass%38.444.448.452.5
4th-down go%opp. territory24.420.621.129.3
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Noel Mazzone → Kennedy Polamalu · 2016
74th pct25th pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 48.4% → 54.8% (+6.4 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 54% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Jeff Ulbrich → Tom Bradley · 2015
57th pct66th pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2014: Beat Kansas State 40–35 Valero Alamo Bowl2015: Lost to Nebraska 29–37 Foster Farms Bowl2017: Lost to Kansas State 17–35 Cactus Bowl

30 NFL Draft picks: Datone Jones (2013), Johnathan Franklin (2013), Jeff Locke (2013), Jeff Baca (2013), Anthony Barr (2014), Xavier Su'a-Filo (2014), Cassius Marsh (2014), Shaq Evans (2014) + 22 more

46–30