UCLA has fired football coach Jim Mora.
The decision was announced Sunday afternoon, and the school stated the following in a press release:
University of California, Los Angeles Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero announced today that Head Football Coach Jim Mora has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch will serve as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season.
“Making a coaching change is never easy, but it’s an especially difficult decision when you know that a coach has given his all to our University,” said Guerrero. “Jim helped reestablish our football program, and was instrumental in so many ways in moving the program forward. While his first four seasons at UCLA were very successful, the past two seasons have not met expectations. We thank Jim and his family for his service to our school and his unquestionable commitment to our student-athletes.”
UCLA head football coach Jim Mora has been relieved of his duties. https://t.co/LwnEsKojmW pic.twitter.com/P4juhm43dQ
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 19, 2017
This is unfortunate because Mora has always come across as a good guy and the type of man you’d want leading your school’s football program. However, he just wasn’t able to win enough down the stretch. It’s considerably worse when you factor in the fact that Mora and the Bruins couldn’t find a way to win with Josh Rosen at quarterback. Rosen is likely going to be a top three pick, and yet somehow the team couldn’t even sniff contender status with him.
I have no doubt that Mora will bounce back and be back on his feet in no time. The biggest question now is who will replace him for the Bruins. UCLA isn’t exactly a premiere football destination, but there are plenty of coaches who would probably like to be in Los Angeles. Don’t be surprised if Chip Kelly or Lane Kiffin are given a very hard look.