In a book released earlier this summer, author and radio/television personality Paul Finebaum claimed that Texas was prepared to offer Nick Saban a financial package in excess of $100 million -- $12-15 million annually -- to leave Alabama and take over the UT football program.
While some (most?) were skeptical of those financial particulars -- Saban claimed he had no discussions with the school -- one object of the Longhorns’ desire went on the record to attest to how far the well-heeled athletic department was willing to go to replace Mack Brown with a big name.
In early January, myriad reports had Texas in pursuit of UCLA’s Jim Mora after being rebuffed (allegedly) by Saban. In an extensive interview with ESPN.com‘s Chris Low -- just three days before UT and UCLA play, coincidentally -- Mora confirmed that he met with UT officials for “four hours at a private home in Manhattan Beach in January, around the time the speculation was growing. He also explained in specifics just how hotly the school was in pursuit of him.He was up-front with the Texas brass about how important it was for his parents to be at games. They live in Palm Desert and make the two-hour drive to Pasadena for every home game. His father is even around some for practices.
During those conversations, Texas offered to send a private jet to pick up Mora’s parents, and anybody else he wanted, and bring them to all of the Longhorns’ games.
“I’m like, ‘Is there a bottom to your bucket?’” Mora said he remembers thinking at the time.
The flirtation was for naught as Mora released a statement early in the afternoon on Jan. 3 in which he said that "[i]t is always flattering when someone is interested in you, but I am committed to being the UCLA coach.” Because of the interest from UT as well as Washington, the Bruins and Mora reached an agreement a month later on a contract extension that included a sizable bump in pay. He was also promised that construction on a new $50 million practice facility would begin no later than Oct. of 2015; Low writes that “Mora has an escape clause in his contract that would allow him to leave without any penalty if the university doesn’t meet that deadline on the new facilities.”
The Longhorns, of course, turned to Charlie Strong as Brown’s replacement two days after Mora released his statement of commitment to the Bruins.