Jim Mora has had a prolific head coaching career, making his way around the NCAA and the NFL, known at his collegiate stops for one thing: turning programs around for the better.
And it’s time to do it again.
As head coach at UCLA from 2012-17, Mora arrived and immediately improved a program that was in a downward spiral. In his time, he led the Bruins to multiple 10-win seasons as well as guided the team to four-straight bowl games.
He was then hired in 2021 to lead the UConn Huskies, inheriting a program that had been one of the lesser teams across the country for years. But by the time he was done with the Huskies? Mora brought the program to two-straight nine-win seasons and bowl game appearances in his time there.
After growing a reputation for improving teams, Mora is now trying to shape a Colorado State football program that had an extremely rough year. With the mid-season firing of coach Jay Norvell and the eventual departure via the transfer portal of over 40 players, the Rams fell stagnant after some hope in recent years.
But Mora said he has no plans of slowing down as he works to rebuild another team in front of him.
“I think about just doing the best I can every day for this program, for these players, for the staff,” Mora said following the team’s second open spring football scrimmage.
Mora’s arrival at Canvas Stadium after his successful rebuild of UConn’s football program brings hope to many Ram fans and has produced buzz from those on the outside watching in.
A recent article from The Athletic ranked the nation’s top 20 head coaches in college football’s Group of 6 and placed Mora at the No. 6 spot — up from No. 10 where he was ranked in 2025.
The ranking bets a lot of pressure on Mora to follow the path he’s set of successfully revamping programs, but the ranking also puts Mora squarely over several future Pac-12 foes of his.
And with spring football underway for the 2026 season, the Rams are set to look a lot different this season compared to last. Many of the team’s expected starters are players who followed Mora in the move from UConn to CSU, but Mora and his staff also worked extensively to bring in guys from all around the country who could make a difference.
“All I care about is what the people that are in this program, that are in that locker room, that are in the staff room (have to say),” Mora said regarding The Athletic’s article. “All I care about is what they think, and I want them to think that we are driven to be great every single day. That’s all I can do.”
The Rams will have lots of competition to look forward to as they move into the summer, with plenty of positional groups having question marks as to who will be the main guys.
However, the biggest question comes from the quarterback room, with a fair number of options for Mora and the offensive staff to consider and eventually pick a starter. Hauss Hejny and K’saan Farrar are two players who transferred in looking to take the position, as well as returner Darius Curry, who appeared in five games, throwing a total of 740 yards in 2025.
“We’re a long way away from making that (quarterback) decision — a long way,” Mora said. “We don’t have to make that decision until kickoff of the first game. But I would say that the key word is consistency. … Can he operate in our offense with consistency? Can he take care of the football? … And (can he) do all of those things on a consistent basis that you can count on as a staff?”
In the weeks of spring football that remain, there are plenty of groups Mora will need to start making decisions about.
As an established professional who has filled coaching positions around the country and various leagues since 1984, Mora has proved multiple times he has the knowledge to improve a football program, which is exactly what CSU needs after a 2-10 season that left a sour taste in the mouths of all Ram fans. Mora has the chance to go three-for-three on rebuilding collegiate programs under an entire new regime.
“As a team, in terms of their attitude, they’re understanding what it is going to take for us to be successful,” Mora said. “Their willingness to embrace that, I’ve seen that elevate. I see a closeness developing on the team. … It’s becoming more and more competitive, and those are all great signs.”
Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on social media @DImsirpasic.
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