Jim Mora’s tenure at UConn has been nothing but successful. Taking a 1-11 program and developing it into a 9-win season speaks of Mora’s coaching acumen. However, the 9-3 season marked the end of his journey with the Huskies. On Nov 26, he began his new chapter at Colorado State, but Nick Saban is skeptical of his decision.

On Nov. 26, Nick Saban appeared on the Pat McAfee show and was asked whether he had heard about Mora going to Colorado State.

“I have not heard that, but I don’t know why he would do such a thing,” Nick Saban said in response to the question.

Jim Mora had everything going in perfect tandem. UConn played in three bowl games over the last four years and had consecutive 9-win seasons. QB Joe Fagnano’s impressive performance has resulted in 28 touchdowns, with just one interception so far. Named a semifinalist for the 2025 Davey O’Brien Award and the winner of The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston’s Bulger Lowe Award, the QB was making it big under More’ guidance. Throwing for 3,448 yards (No. 3 in the NCAA passing yards), he took the Huskies to a 9-3 record this season.

Naturally, the Huskies were the merriest bunch. To retain More’s coaching talent, UConn extended his contract in Dec 2024.

“Three years ago, I tasked Jim Mora with the challenge of leading our football team back to success, and through his experience, energy, and leadership, he has done just that,” AD David Benedict had nothing but praise for his head coach.

The Huskies had been doing brilliantly under Mora’s watchful eyes. So, when he decided to leave, it came as a surprise to many. Nick Saban himself had to confirm twice. “Is he doing this? Or is this just a talk?” McAfee confirmed again by saying, “This is happening. It happened last night.”

Considering Mora’s achievement in the independent program, it’s certainly a loss for the Huskies. But a gain for Colorado State, who will be making the transition from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12.

“I like Jim Mora. I think he’s a good coach,” Saban said. “And I thought he was a good coach when he was in the NFL, as an assistant and as a head coach. So, it’s great for Colorado State, I think. Not so good for UConn.”

Jim Mora began his coaching career at his alma mater, Washington, as a graduate assistant and later moved to the NFL ranks. In the pro league, he spent some time steering the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks in the capacity of a head coach before returning to college football. Nick Saban’s reaction to Mora’s departure makes more sense as the legend had called the Huskies one of the “underappreciated teams in college football.

Nick Saban takes UConn to national spotlight

Over the course of the season, the program sustained three losses, against Syracuse, Delaware, and Rice. All of them ended in overtime, showing the Huskies’ grit. And Nick Saban was more than impressed with Jim Mora’s roster. So, weeks ago, when Saban was present at Texas Tech for College GameDay, he did not shy away from giving a shoutout to the Huskies.

During the live segment, the former Alabama coach was asked about the most underappreciated team in college football, and he was quick to say UConn. “When you played at a little level, you’d love to get some national love,” Saban said. “So a team like UConn, that is 6-3 and lost all three games in overtime.” Naturally, after hearing about More’s departure, Saban was a bit taken aback.

After rebuilding UConn into a winning program, Jim More looks forward to a new chapter at Colorado State.