Jim Mora: Leaving UCLA would have left Bruins with ’empty lessons’

Over his first two seasons at UCLA, Jim Mora has fielded overtures everywhere from Washington to Texas to the San Diego Chargers. Each time, he said no, eventually signing an extension through 2019.

During his Pac-12 media scrum on Thursday, he again reiterated his commitment to the Bruins. Acknowledging that he was not the “the most popular hire in the history of college sports,” he said he wanted to reciprocate the trust athletic director Dan Guerrero gave him back in December 2011.

Mora also remarked on — and disapproved of — the way that some college coaches have changed jobs.

“Most importantly, I’m committed to our players,” he said. “We go recruit these kids, go into their homes and talk to their parents and we ask them to commit to us. We see coaches run out on them, and I don’t think that’s right. We sit in our meeting rooms and talk to our kids about being selfless and sacrifice and putting a team first. Then you see coaches when the first opportunity comes up to take off and better their situation, they run and do it and leave these kids behind with these, to me, empty lessons.

“And that’s not who I want to be. I’m saying there until they kick me out. That might be tomorrow, who knows. I’ve been kicked out before. But I’m staying until they kick me out.”