That old saying about an athletic director going in an opposite direction for his next hire certainly held true with UCLA.
After firing a former UCLA quarterback in Rick Neuheisel, UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero chose longtime NFL defensive specialist Jim Mora, who has no UCLA ties and had served as an analyst for the NFL Network for the past two years.
Mora’s quarter-century in the pros included two stints as a head coach — of the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06) and Seattle Seahawks (2009).
“I’ve enjoyed the transition from the National Football League to UCLA,” Mora said during the recent Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles. “I think what has really been outstanding to me, what stands out for me, is how much more involved in the lives of your student-athletes you are at this level. … You can have a little more influence on them, hopefully in a positive way.”
In a bit of irony, Neuheisel was fired after UCLA (5-4 in the Pac-12) qualified for the conference championship game. But that was only because Southern California was ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions.
The Bruins were bounced 49-31 by Oregon in the Pac-12 title game and then, with an interim coach, fell 20-14 to Illinois in the Fight Hunger Bowl.
UCLA finished 6-8 overall last fall and went 21-29 in four years under Neuheisel.
Bruins players appear to be buying into the typical “culture change” of a new coach.
“Coach Mora is instilling in us that we need to be accountable to ourselves and our teammates,” sophomore safety Tevin McDonald said. “That’s something we might have been lacking over the previous years.”
Neuheisel didn’t leave the cupboard bare.
Just four starters are back on offense, but eight return on defense. And recruiting athletes to that beautiful campus in Westwood has never been a problem.
Mora is impressed with his first recruiting class, highlighted by five-star defensive lineman Ellis McCarthy. But his best offseason acquisition was offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, considered a quarterbacks guru . Mazzone, who coached Broncos draftee Brock Osweiler last year at Arizona State, has installed a no-huddle, spread offense. That’s a departure from UCLA’s recent “pistol” formation.
If Mazzone can develop newly- deemed starter Brett Hundley, a redshirt freshman, as a consistent quarterback (a chronic problem for Neuheisel QBs), UCLA can make some noise.
Running back Johnathan Franklin (976 yards), tight end Joseph Fauria (39 catches for 481 yards), linebacker Eric Kendricks (77 tackles) and safety Tevin McDonald (three interceptions) are top-notch.
“We’re not looking at the past; we’re looking toward the future,” Mora said. “We want to be a football team that plays with a great deal of discipline and toughness.”
Three keys for UCLA
1. Quick-learning quarterback? Redshirt freshman Brett Hundley was named the starting quarterback last week. He was the No. 3-rated quarterback nationally coming out of Chandler, Ariz. There were five QBs — yes, five — who shared snaps during spring drills.
2. Get off to a good start. UCLA opens at Rice, and then has consecutive home games against Nebraska, Houston and Oregon State, before going on the road to face rebuilding Colorado. There had better be some victories before October.
3. Regain some swagger. Rick Neuheisel is a good coach, but it just didn’t work at his alma mater for whatever reason. UCLA hasn’t won more than seven games in a season since 2005. That’s ridiculous for a program of this stature.
