Jim Mora, Pat Fitzgerald reportedly could leave college football for the NFL
UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora and Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald are potential candidates to fill NFL vacancies.
Jim Mora and Pat Fitzgerald are among the darkhorse candidates to leave the college ranks for the NFL, according to CBS Sports Jason La Canfora who writes both coaches could be in play when the NFL head coach firings begin at the end of the year.
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Mora, 54, just finished his fourth season at UCLA and had his worst year to date in Westwood with an 8-5 record and has a career mark of 37-16 and finished in the top 20 in 2013-2014. He has a 33-31 record with the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons in five years as an NFL head coach and hasn’t been in the NFL since 2009.
He has worked as an assistant or head coach in the NFL since 1985-2009 before taking the UCLA job, so he clearly has extensive ties to the NFL and is the son of a former NFL head coach, so a move to the NFL could be possible.
But as La Canfora points out, he has quarterback Josh Rosen for two more seasons before he likely leaves early for the NFL Draft so that could be tough to walk away from. If he does it could be for the San Diego Chargers job where Mora served as an assistant from 1985-1991 and would allow him to stay in Southern California, and perhaps, in the same city if the Chargers move to Los Angeles.
Chargers head coach Mike McCoy is on the hot seat after regressing from back-to-back nine-win seasons to begin his tenure with the franchise and currently sits at 3-11 on the year.
La Canfora also mentions Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, 41, as a college coach who could generate interest from the NFL, but plucking him out of his alma mater where he’s coached the last 10 years and is coming off a 10-2 year could be difficult.
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He is 70-55 since taking over for the late Randy Walker and has two 10-win seasons, a bowl win and six bowl appearances in the last eight years.
I won’t be surprised if Mora gets back in the NFL, but I’ll be stunned if Fitzgerald leaves Northwestern for the NFL.