Jim Mora talks Josh Rosen, his job future with Colin Cowherd

In his first public media appearance since getting fired last month, former UCLA head coach Jim Mora told Colin Cowherd he is looking to return to the NFL after his six-year college stint.

Mora, who joined the show Wednesday, said at the end of the 15-minute interview: “Right now I’m maybe trying to get back into the league. That’s home for me. (I’ve) been a head coach 10 years and I feel like I’m finally mature to the point where I get it. It takes a while to get it. I finally got it.”

Mora, who was previously the head coach with the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, was fired after UCLA’s loss to USC last month. The Bruins hired Chip Kelly one week later.

It was Mora’s first job in college, and he was consistently at the center of NFL coaching rumors during the beginning of his UCLA tenure, which were his most successful years in Westwood. He told Cowherd he appreciates the business-like atmosphere and structure of the NFL, but loved “the impact you can have on young men” in college more than anything else he’s experienced in coaching.

“Of course it’s about winning and losing and that’s how you keep your job, but it’s also about making sure they get an education and they’re set up for their future and they’re socially conscious young men and they become the men that their parents always dreamed that they’d be,” Mora said.

When asked about his prized pupil Josh Rosen and the chances the junior quarterback declares for the NFL Draft early, Mora said it’s a “reasonable approach” to think Rosen would leave UCLA considering that he is on track to receive his degree this year and he will be playing in an offense that may not be an ideal fit.

Rosen said Wednesday he has actually thought about playing in a system like Kelly’s, but hasn’t made his NFL decision yet.

“I know that he’s a brilliant enough offensive football mind to where he can tailor his offense to the strengths of all 11 players, not just the quarterback,” Rosen said.

More on big decisions coming up for Rosen and some of his teammates, including Jordan Lasley and Kolton Miller.

Video interviews from Wednesday: