In a candid and impassioned assessment of the University of Connecticut’s football program, head coach Jim Mora didn’t hold back when discussing the team’s overall struggles.
Finish the season with a very poor 3-9 record, the once-ascending program (yes, really) has been largely derailed.
With the new reality of NIL, true success seems very far away in Storrs.
Mora spoke of his frustration with the crazy new world and how college football has become a battle of the haves and have nots … (Although, in fairness, that has always been the case.)
Mora highlighted the significant NIL gap between UConn and other football programs, suggesting that this financial discrepancy has severely hindered the program’s ability to compete at a high level.
“We’re a better football team with a worse record and that’s extremely frustrating, you know, because you see where the world is going,” he said.
“Go look at the top Group of Five teams in the country and look at their schedule and compare it to our schedule … If we’re going to play those teams and people want us to beat Duke and North Carolina State and Syracuse and Maryland next year and Wake Forest next year, then there needs to be a commitment monetarily to helping us get the players that can beat them.”
“Because if you’re not going to help us get the players to beat them, then you are not entitled to bitch when we don’t beat them.”
#UConn Football HC Jim Mora in his weekly presser….
"If we want to be a top group of five team, it is a fact that we have at least $1.5 million dollars in NIL money."
FULL VIDEO –> https://t.co/RcHyOkXm2D pic.twitter.com/FEoDhpIkTc
— UConn Huskies | UConnReport.com (@UConnRivals) November 21, 2023
His warning that Husky fans who don’t contribute financially to improving the program’s resources shouldn’t complain when UConn falls short against formidable opponents is fascinating – and it speaks to the reality of modern-day college football.
What an era for college sports. More pressing on everyday people to fund the personal lives of full scholarship athletes who might leave at any time, with no promise of results, playing for coaches who blame their records on fans, who have to endure barbs for not pulling back…
— Kentucky Golf Holes (@KYGolfHoles) November 22, 2023
Mora also provided historical context to UConn’s football program, acknowledging its past successes in the Big East from 2004-2012, where the team secured two conference titles.
However, since joining the AAC in 2013, the program has faced difficulties, compiling a combined 29-92 record before Mora’s arrival.
Now without a conference in football, UConn is a basketball school more than ever.
While Mora acknowledged that money might not be the sole solution to UConn’s challenges, he firmly asserted that financial support is a crucial starting point for revitalizing the program and helping the team compete at a higher level.
Does Jim not understand how tickets work? If you buy one you can give feedback on the team performance and his performance.
— Next Pro Scouting (@NextProScouts) November 21, 2023
Of course, UConn is not in any way, shape or form a large or significant program.
However, Mora’s name still carries weight in the football world, and you can guarantee that his thoughts on NIL are echoed by many…
What are your thoughts on this Wild Wild West world we’re now living in?
Is NIL good for college football?
What guard-rails need to be put in place???