Why Jim Mora Would Be a Fool to Leave UCLA for the Jets

It's probably a whole lot of nothing now. That much deserves to be stated right away. 

Before 2014 came to an end, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweeted that Charley Casserly, who was consulting for the New York Jets about their head coaching vacancy, reached out to UCLA head coach "Jim Mora's camp to inquire about buyout details in [his] contract." 

That turned into a report from Bruin Report Online (subscription required) that Mora was set to interview with the Jets...which turned into another report from the same outlet that Mora was not going to interview with the Jets. 

So here we are, full circle, and Mora is still the coach of the Bruins. 

But it's not like Mora has never been the subject of other coaching rumors at both the college and NFL levels. Recently, he was connected to the San Francisco 49ers job even before the franchise parted ways with Jim Harbaugh.

The coaching fraternity is a tight one. Chances are Mora, who has NFL head coaching experience with the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons, will be a name that pops up in the coaching rumor mill for a while. Other than a brief graduate assistant stint at the University of Washington, his coaching resume has been at the NFL level. 

Mora has a great thing going at UCLA, though. He took over a program with a ton of potential in December of 2011 and has won 29 games in three years, including back-to-back 10-win seasons. In 2012, Mora's first season, he led the Bruins to a Pac-12 South title. 

In his own words on The Rich Eisen Show, Mora quashed any rumors of him going to New York (h/t Chris Vannini, CoachingSearch.com): 

"

I love college football. I really do. It fits me very well. I relate well to the players. They appreciate the emotion and the passion I coach with. I love UCLA. I think we've been able to do some good things. I love the young men I coach. When you make a commitment in recruiting to the families of the players, saying, 'I'm going to be your coach,' I take that seriously. It's not something I want to run out on.

"

Mora is recruiting at a high level as well—certainly high enough to keep the Bruins competitive in Pac-12 South/Pac-12 title races. 2014 was a tad disappointing—as disappointing as 10-3 with an Alamo Bowl win can be—in that preseason playoff hype wasn't reached.

It was also largely a young team, and Mora is setting up UCLA long term to finally meet those expectations. Roughly two-thirds of UCLA's starting 22 by the end of the year were either freshmen or sophomores, according to Ourlads. 

Josh Rosen, a 5-star pro-style quarterback, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, has enrolled early and is expected to be the future face of the team with Brett Hundley's departure. As Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News explains, Rosen would have plenty of help around him if he plays in 2015: 

"

If Rosen does win out this coming spring, he'll have the benefit of an offense that returns almost every significant piece — including a fully intact offensive line. [Center Jake] Brendel, a redshirt junior, said he has requested an NFL draft evaluation, but is definitely returning for his senior year. He will likely anchor a unit that includes four juniors.

"

Mora also brought in the No. 7 recruiting class in the country in 2013 and a top-20 class a year ago. If the recruiting season ended today, the Bruins would have the No. 15 class in the country. 

The important thing is not just that UCLA is pulling in top-25 recruiting classes, but that it's regularly recruiting at or near the top of the Pac-12. Talent should under no circumstances be an issue for Mora going forward. 

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

It's fun to joke that Mora would be leaving UCLA for lesser talent if he, hypothetically speaking, went to the Jets. That goes along the lines of, "Could Alabama beat the Jacksonville Jaguars?" The answer is a resounding "no." But the projection is that Mora won't be the coach that wins only with the previous guy's (Rick Neuheisel) players. 

And there is truth to the fact that the Jets have serious question marks, namely at quarterback. Mora knows firsthand the pressures of winning right away in the NFL. In 2010, he was fired as the Seahawks head coach after just one year. 

Compare that to UCLA, where Mora has tremendous administrative support. In December of 2013, he agreed to a six-year extension to take him through the 2019 season. The details of that extension dictate that Mora will make an average of $3.5 million a year through the life of the contract. 

If the rumors that NFL organizations are interested in Mora are a leverage play, UCLA is probably willing to shell out more. 

There may be a day when Mora returns to the NFL. It's a hard call not to consider. However, those decisions also regularly revolve around fit and timing. The backtracking from initial reports connecting Mora to the Jets would indicate the fit and timing isn't there.

Besides, Mora appears to be building something great at UCLA. There's nothing wrong with riding that out. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.