Coach Bob Chesney matched UCLA Bruins history in earning victory No. 10 Friday. He’s now two wins away from the Bruins completing the undefeated regular season. But things have soured fast for one of UCLA’s last most successful head coaches: Jim Mora, who’s leading Colorado State.
He’s now in a “situation to watch” per one college football insider.
Where Ex-UCLA Coach Stands at Current Post
Pete Nakos of On3/Rivals unveiled the new list of coaching situations to monitor on Sunday. Particularly those who could face a dismissal.
Mora’s name landed on Nakos’ list, highlighting these reasons.
“Year 1 has not been smooth sailing for Jim Mora at Colorado State. The Rams lost 73-7 on Saturday night at Washington State. Mora demoted his defensive coordinator mid-game this year, and there was a recent sideline altercation between a staff member and a player. The Rams are 3-7 and 1-5 in the Pac-12. This has turned into a situation to watch,” Nakos said.
Mora’s first season in Fort Collins has indeed seen tension-filled moments.
Timeline of Jim Mora Tenure at Colorado State
Mora made the rare move of dismissing an assistant during a live game.
He fired then-defensive coordinator Tyson Summers following a heated sideline moment. Mora claimed Summers left on his own and made the decision to leave CSU.
But things went south from there. Texas State dropped 66 on CSU the following week, then San Diego State scored 49 but the Rams escaped with a win there.
Yet CSU enters the final Saturday before the Pac-12 goes to flex scheduling on a three-game slide. And this Rams defense have allowed 31, 64 and 73 points the last three games.
Colorado State is already eliminated from playing in a bowl game. But now they’re taking on a slumping Fresno State team with its own head coach, Matt Entz, overhearing fierce criticism from that fanbase. A CSU loss could hand the university new leverage to reopen the HC spot.
Jim Mora Contract at Colorado State
Mora agreed to a five-year deal during Dec. 2025, in a move that brought him back to the Pac-12. Although this one no longer featuring UCLA or past Bruin rivals Stanford, Cal, and USC.
Mora’s annual salary sits at $2.6 million, which can reach to $2.8 million by 2030. CSU even agreed to cover Mora’s $1.5 million buyout after leaving his most previous post of UConn.
But per The Coloradoan, Mora will be owed a $5 million buyout if CSU fires him in 2026. That buyout money even decreases to $4 million for 2027.
Looking Back at Jim Mora’s UCLA Run
Mora managed to rebuild himself as a coach in Westwood, following two flameouts in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.
He lifted UCLA to new, long-awaited heights, reaching as high as No. 7 overall in 2014 and 2015. Mora even won over prominent local recruits, including past five-star quarterback Josh Rosen.
But Mora and Rosen endured a widely publicized complex relationship. Furthermore, Mora’s Bruins teams started underachieving after an upset loss to Arizona State in 2015. Mora later went 13-19 the rest of the way before getting fired after 11 games in 2017.
Multiple reports were Mora became in over his head with UCLA’s early success. Then the product started underachieving from ’15 to ’17. But the final straw was rival USC beating Mora’s UCLA teams three straight seasons. Mora left compiling a 46-30 overall record in Westwood. Now, CSU is enduring his most rigid campaign ever as a head coach, leading to the belief he’ll be a one-and-down in Fort Collins.
Past Successful UCLA Coach Now in ‘Situation to Watch’ at Current Post