There are two pretty significant coaching vacancies left to fill in college football. Penn State and Texas are each on the search for a new head coach and now that the Longhorns have officially closed the book on the Mack Brown Era in Austin the pursuit is getting as hot as the Texas sun in the middle of the summer. The job is worthy of some big names to be in the mix, and it appears the school is keeping an eye on UCLA head coach Jim Mora.
According to a report by ESPN, Mora and Texas have had some sort of conversation about filling the vacancy, but it is unknown how serious the talks may have been. Considering Mora has NFL experience and the number of coaching vacancies available in the NFL right now it would make sense to see Mora’s name potentially be tied to some of those ongoing coaching searches as well.
There is much to like about Mora as a potential coach at Texas. After turning UCLA around and setting them on a path to be one of the top programs in the Pac 12, if not just the Pac 12 South, Mora has proven a number of critics wrong. Mora was a hard sell for UCLA to the fans and media when initially hired to coach the Bruins after fizzing out in the NFL.
Texas needs a coach who can handle the pressure of leading a big time program and handle the increased media exposure to be had through The Longhorn Network commitments. Mora could probably handle that if he was interested in taking the job, but overall just seems like a weird fit. If Mora goes anywhere, it might be for another shot at the NFL.