UConn football head coach Jim Mora will become the Colorado State Rams’ next head coach for the 2026 campaign.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, UConn Athletic Director David Benedict announced that Mora had accepted the offer.
“We are grateful for Coach Mora’s contributions to UConn over the past four seasons. He took on the challenge of rebuilding our football program and delivered results that exceeded expectations,” said Benedict in the statement. “Coach Mora brought energy and a winning culture back to UConn football and put our program back on the national stage.”
During his four-year career with Connecticut, Mora paved the way for the Huskies to become bowl-eligible three times. In 2022, the team battled the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. This was the first time in 11 years that UConn appeared in the postseason.
Heading into the 2025 run, Mora raised the bar for UConn after the program defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 27-14 in the Fenway Bowl and did not disappoint.
For the first time since 2007, the Huskies racked up nine regular season wins. This is also the first time in program history that Connecticut has posted a nine-win record in back-to-back campaigns. Now, the team awaits to hear which bowl they will play in.
Overall, Mora has registered a 27-23 record, with three of four regular seasons reaching .500-plus.
As of now, offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis will serve as the interim head coach as Benedict searches to find a replacement. Sammis will coach UConn in their upcoming bowl game, per Joe Arruda on X.
“We will now turn our attention to finding the right leader to build on the foundation that has been established and continue moving UConn football forward,” said Benedict.
With the departure of Mora, several Huskies have elected to enter the transfer portal. Running back Victor Rosa started the domino effect after announcing his decision just hours after Benedict sent out his statement.
This led defensive end Cam Chadwick, linebacker Oumar Diomande, wide receiver John Neider, defensive back Chris Hudson, running back MJ Flowers and defensive back Osiris Gilbert to enter the portal. To add on, 2026 three-star safety Kallen Martinez decommitted from UConn.
In terms of Colorado State football, the program began the 2025 stretch 2-5, resulting in the firing of former head coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19 after its 31-19 loss to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Since 2019, Mora has been the fourth head coach hire.
With that being said, here are potential candidates the Huskies could ink as their next head coach.
Jon Gruden:
On Oct. 11, 2021, Gruden resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after his emails were leaked. Since then, Gruden signed with Barstool Sports in November 2024 but has emphasized wanting to return to coaching.
“I absolutely love football, it’s all I have,” said Gruden in an interview on Pardon My Take. “Who knows what will happen, but I’m preparing myself as always to coach.”
Additionally, the 62-year-old discussed with a reporter in an interview with CBS Sports where he’d want to coach if he returned to football.
“I know I can help a team, I know I can help young players get better and I know I can hire a good staff,” said Gruden. “I’m very interested in coaching at any level.”
With veterans like quarterback Joe Fagnano, wide receiver Skyler Bell and possibly running back Cam Edwards leaving for the NFL, young new talent will need to develop.
For someone who is looking for a new beginning and striving to improve players, Connecticut is the perfect place for Gruden to do just that.
Brian Kelly:
As much as this sounds unrealistic, signing Kelly could happen. After falling to the Texas A&M Aggies 49-25 and dropping to 5-3 on the 2025 campaign, the LSU Tigers parted ways with Kelly.
This resulted in Kelly filing a $54 million lawsuit against LSU to ensure that he receives his full buyout. In recent weeks, the Tigers terminated Kelly’s contract, without cause, and will pay their dues. During the ongoing legal battle, a letter obtained by ESPN explains how finding another job opportunity has become challenging for Kelly.
“LSU’s conduct, including its failure to confirm that Coach Kelly was terminated without cause and its unsupported allegations of misconduct on the part of Coach Kelly, has made it nearly impossible for Coach Kelly to secure other football-related employment.”
In the meantime, taking a job with a program that’s not in a Power Four conference could remain the only option. To keep the same standard as what Mora had, the offensive-minded coach can achieve just that with his experience in facing high-level squads. Not to mention, Kelly is from Massachusetts.
UConn Offensive Coordinator Sammis:
In the past two years, Sammis has called the plays for the offense, as Mora was a defensive-minded coach. With back-to-back stellar runs under his belt, a promotion might be on the horizon for Sammis. With the well-known coach potentially taking charge for the bowl matchup, the team’s performance could play a role in the Huskies’ next head coach.