I'm looking on Youtube at press conferences. I think Mora will definitely provide the most interesting interviews on Longhorn Sports Network of the other likely candidates. I think he has strong football cred. I'd a little prefer Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Urban Meyer or Gus Malzahn, but Mora is my first take on the next level of coaches.
Below average pro career and two good years at UCLA with no signature win. What is his up side? Hired 3 great recruiters, top 12 class last year, sitting at 38 this year. What is his up side? What makes him an attractive candidate?
I don't know much about Mora, other than until this season he has had an unremarkable career as a head coach, consisting of a losing record in the NFL and a 19-8 mark at UCLA. I'm certainly not dismissing his potential, but can someone explain to me why he would be a preferred candidate for the Texas position? *edit* I didn't see past_coach's post until after I had posted mine, but it appears we have similar questions.
Third_Coast and past_coach, You have to live/have lived in LA to understand the lack of respect that UCLA football gets. For Mora to achieve what he has achieved in two years at UCLA s equal to or better than what Briles has done in 5 years at Baylor. They will finish in the top 20 if not top 15 this year.
Not a Briles fan either. I think his hiring would still be based on what he might can do with his HS connections. Baylor is exiting but I see lots of problems. Too many penalties all year, weak schedule. But he has history of wining. Mora has never been rated high as a coach and his success is limited to nothing great. Maybe he has potential but I can not find evidence.
Mora's record at UCLA are 9-5 and 10-3. This was a program mired in mediocrity. The last time UCLA had a better two year record, Bob Toledo was coaching there in 1997-1998. Turning the program around so quickly means he can succeed with players recruited and previously coached by the Neuheisel regieme. Don't live and die by recruiting rankings.
I don't get why everyone is so high on Mora. Briles has turned around Baylor. YES BAYLOR! And Mora has a couple of winning seasons with UCLA. Briles is already established with the Texas recruiting. Briles killed Mora in the 2012 Holiday bowl. I understand it was his first year but that first year is what you guys are giving him credit for turning around the program with three more wins than the year before. Mora is 31-33 in the NFL. I think he's a good coach for college but I think he's nothing special. A great personality is not a big issue for being the Texas coach. We need W's and getting into the new college playoffs asap. Briles just won the Big 12 and I think he could do it even better recruiting for the UNIVERSITY of TEXAS! We win the Big 12 and we are most likely one of the four team bracket and a run for the title. Briles would be incredible if he had the talent that can be attracted to the Horns.
Adding to ViperHorn's comments, UCLA is an afterthought in Los Angeles. It is not a football school and it never will be. They don't get the recruits. USC does... I live in SoCal. I can tell you that very little passion exists for UCLA football. Now for basketball, that's a different story. Mora has done reasonably well with limited resources. Given another year or two, Mora would (will?) likely have UCLA in the national discussion. Mora is not a sexy pick, but he is very solid. He possesses the experience, the pedigree and the image. Like I said, a solid if not sexy choice.
If it's Mora, he may turn out to be a good choice, but I guess I see the similar winning (and losing) percentage's of Mackovic at Illinois and the NFL and I have to wonder.
Third coast, you are right about a similar record as Mackovic, with Mora. The real difference is that he is a guy with quite a different attitude than Mackovic, He is not perceived to be arrogant, he doesn't upset people, he pays attention to both O and D, and he knows that he should get top assistants and recruiters with him for the kind of coach that he is. Mackovic just didn't have the right guys with him (probably also because he felt he knew enough to handle things). That had all affected Mackovic who was a good and honest guy whom I actually liked (I had hoped he would work out - till he hired BJW as DC and we knew the end was near). The comments above about what Mora has done at UCLA are correct (I also live in SoCal). The main thing that he did was that he totally changed the lazy culture of the team and the program. Google will probably show some articles on some of the things he did with the players to make them stop being losers. He does have some of the traits, mainly asking for accountability, that Mack-haters are looking for too - along with a whole lot of positives similar to Mack. He also has the cred now, to be able to get top-notch assistants. But I would ask Mora on whom he plans to have as OC. It is becoming awfully important to have OCs who can have the kind of schemes that Texas high school offensive talent can fit into. If he will bring the right assistants, he would win - because he will recruit well and bring in talent to campus, and get them to work hard. He would not mess up the things that Mack Brown built, and would probably keep everybody happy too. And I don't think he is interested in going back to NFL either - and seems to really like the college grind, which people were doubtful if he would adapt to. He adapted immediately - like within a week after he joined UCLA, as he had to recruit with just 4 weeks to go, and got a top class by hiring the right guys to recruit, immediately. So it is not exactly the record itself that makes me support Mora, but the way he has done things at UCLA. In a school that values integrity like Texas. His way of doing things at UCLA will quite possibly work at Texas. But we need to make sure that he would not turn into a defensive coach . He will need to have right O assistants.
Excellent points by the So Cal. Horns. Check out the PAC 12 coaches. A conference on the upswing. Mora is the best IMO. Rich Rod, Graham, Shaw, Helfrich, the Pirate etc... The guy is winning and has changed the culture. If interested read the article on seniors skipping practice as a tradition. Not on his watch. Duke hit it on the head, a solid pick. Best way to describe it. A solid 10 year type coach if we can get him. Did an ok job in the NFL. So far lights out in college. Incredibly intense, and absolutely a detailed oriented perfectionist.
Mora has turned around UCLA, a basketball school who is a big 2nd fiddle in their own city/region. However his teams lead the nation in the penalties, 2 years strait. Not a small concern on an otherwise excellent resume. Briles hasn't really won many big games. Mike Leech also took a lower conference team on a great run or two, like Briles failing in the bigger moments, no thanks. UT can do better than either of these two IMO...Shaw, Swinney, Franklin, Sumlin, Mahlzahn, Fisher.
He's 12-6 in conference since he took over @ UCLA. 5-11 & Fired in Seattle before that. No Thanks. HOOK 'EM, Texdoc
I saw a yahoo headline that we've contact Mike Dantonio and saw an ESPN crawl that we want to interview Briles. Perhaps this will be a very thorough coaching search. If smart people give all these guys a close look, then I'll be satisfied with the choice they make.
Nueheisal rebuilt the UCLA foundation and Mora walked in and won with Neuheisal's players. He has some bad losses as head coach of UCLA including being beaten like a red headed step child in the Holiday Bowl by Baylor. His past records are not good and he will not succeed at UCLA long term or at Texas. He is a waste of four years before he is shown the door at Texas. We don't need to see him on the sideline popping ammonia pills. Neuhesal's QB Hundley has made him look better than he is.
Mora doesn't impress me-----18-8 at UCLA doesn't impress me---I don't care what excuses others make about the conference or city----he was a loser in the NFL and likely had that opportunity only due to fact his Dad coached in NFL.......NOT a splash hire in my opinion that Texas should have......I would say he is a risk at best..only way I could see him working is if they hired the Chad Morris type of OC to handle the offense and Texas recruiting...doubt Morris would take OC job as he will likely get a head coaching job someplace...the only guy in Cali I would want is Harbaugh and he isnt interested
