The rumor mill is churning, and UCLA head coach Jim Mora is now at the forefront of the conversation.
Immediately after the Bruins’ 40-35 victory over the No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats in the Valero Alamo Bowl, questions began to swirl regarding whether or not Mora will leave the program.After tonight, won’t be any surprise to see UCLA HC Jim Mora Jr. find his way to an NFL HC interview or two...
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 3, 2015
Two teams potentially interested in Mora’s services are the New York Jets and the San Francisco 49ers. According to PFT, a Jets consultant already contacted Mora and inquired about his buyout with UCLA.
Mora addressed the rumors Thursday to no avail.
“I have no plans to coach anywhere other than UCLA at this point,” Mora told the Orange County Register‘s Ryan Kartje.
At that point, the Bruins had yet to play in the Alamo Bowl. With the bowl game now complete, the interest in Mora could heat up in the coming days.
Friday’s performance by the Bruins wasn’t one to pad the resume, though.
The Bruins nearly allowed the Wildcats to come back from 25-point halftime deficit. UCLA committed 15 penalties and made numerous mental mistakes. It was the type of effort where anyone watching could question whether or not Mora had his team fully prepared.
The Bruins struggled to contain the Wildcats’ dynamic duo at wide receiver, Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton. The twosome combined to make 23 catches for 268 yards on their way to becoming the first tandem with 1,000 or more receiving yards in Kansas State history.
A late 67-yard touchdown run from running back Paul Perkins was needed to eventually seal the victory. Perkins finished the contest with 194 yards on 20 carries.
During his three seasons with the program, Mora is 29-11 overall. The Bruins didn’t win 29 games during the team’s previous five seasons. As a result, the coach appears to have revitalized his reputation, which makes him an intriguing option for the professional ranks.
It sure appeared as if Mora had somewhere else to be at the conclusion of the Alamo Bowl:
How do you command respect of your players if you refuse to give any to a legend? @UCLACoachMora @UCLAAthleticshttps://t.co/yJzgjgbczg
— Daily Lifestyler (@KSUManhatter) January 3, 2015