Are you surprised that Javorius Allen’s Heisman Trophy odds are unchanged after the Stanford game? He was 66-1 last week according to Bovada and remains 66-1 despite gaining 154 yards. Cody Kessler was 25-1 before the game and is now 40-1.
Georgia tailback Todd Gurley is the top pick at 5-1.
Latest odds Scotty sleeps in foot pajamas and still watches Scooby Doo cartoons before he goes to bed. 1-1 Odds Bucket has dreams about Scotty in fot PJ’s 3-1. Odds UCLA wins a big game this year 50-1
With UCLA and Texas set to square off this weekend at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, several stories have popped up about UCLA head coach Jim Mora and how – if circumstances had been different – he might be the head coach of the Longhorns. While Mora has consistently claimed that he turned down the job at Texas to remain at UCLA, sources close to both programs have told us that is a complete fabrication.
In an expansive interview with Chris Low of ESPN, Mora detailed his discussions with Texas representatives, claiming they met for four hours at a private residence in Manhattan Beach, California. He went on to claim that Texas was so hot after him that the school even offered him the use of a private jet to fly his parents to games.
Mora has maintained for months that he turned down Texas to stay at UCLA, where he finally felt at home. The truth is, he was never offered the Texas job and at no point was he the top option on the school’s list.
Thanks to some lucky connections, we have some excellent sources in the state of Texas. One long-time friend of the site is very close to the Texas football program. He has maintained for months that Mora was actually Texas’ fourth choice for the job. This same source told us in early December that if a deal with Alabama head coach Nick Saban deal didn’t materialize, Charlie Strong was going to be the next coach in Austin.
Saban was obviously the first guy on the list, while Strong was No. 2 and Baylor coach Art Briles was No. 3. Texas representatives talked to Saban’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, and met with Strong, Briles and Mora, but only offered the job to Strong. He accepted after taking time to let his former employers at Louisville know he simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Mora claims he met with Texas representatives for four hours in Manhattan Beach, and even that is misleading. We are told the meeting lasted for about two hours and was an informal “get to know you” conversation. As with any coaching candidate, the school’s representatives outlined what they would be offering if they decided he was their guy. But at no point did they indicate that the job was his if he wanted it, and we are told they were very clear about that fact during and after the meeting.
A source at UCLA confirmed this report saying,”Texas was never really an option. It just wasn’t going to happen for whatever reason. They never actually offered (the job) to him.” The source spoke with us via email on the condition of anonymity, since he holds a position close to UCLA’s football program. The UCLA source told us that Mora publicly withdrew his name when he realized he wasn’t getting an offer.
Over the past few months several friends of the site involved in prep football around Southern California have told us that Mora has repeatedly used the “I turned down Texas for UCLA” line as a recruiting pitch. One coach at a prep program that regularly produces Division I players told us that Mora has kept that narrative running for months. In doing so, he has turned off some area high school coaches who wield enormous influence over where their players wind up playing college ball.
The Texas source told us that people there respect Mora and the job he has done at UCLA, but the consensus was that he wouldn’t have been an ideal fit for the program, which is why he was never offered the job. Mora was a background guy, never the focal point of the search. The source also said some people are “pissed off” that Mora keeps throwing around the story that he turned the school down. The source continued, “He’s been lying about it for months and using Texas to promote himself. It just doesn’t sit right with people here who thought they dealt with him fairly.”
While Mora did not, in fact, turn down the Texas job, he did turn down a return to the University of Washington. His alma mater offered him the chance to coach the Huskies after Steve Sarkisian left to take the head job at USC, and Mora eventually turned that position down after UCLA offered him a raise and more money for his assistant coaches.
Mora has done a great job turning things around at UCLA, there is no doubt about that. But telling the world about turning down the Texas job has certainly rubbed some people the wrong way and will likely continue to do so.
They should demand his resignation. He used Texas to press yoU Clownsmakeme Laughmy Assoff fo fluff his contract. Played that lameass AD.
ELEVEN PARAGRAPHS of heresy….Tell me you were just CLOWNING around. Gotta love the references to “The Source” and “some people”. Here’s a fact….I say you are a CLOWN representing a CLOWN University (according to ESPN).
fit un knucklehead!
So rather than refute you just call the original poster a name.
Very classy Bucket.
By the way your favorite sportswriter never reveals his sources in a story. That post was classic Wolf.
The same network that called SC a clown college is the one that ran that story on Mora. Better lay out a tarp in your Mom’s basement in case that little factoid makes your head explode.
Glad to see you read it.
You seem like a nice guy, but seriously … Who cares?
I don’t care but if that was USC it would be national news. Frankly hats off to Mora for playing the Bruins for fat contract.
Agreed. And props to Mora’s daughter for choosing SC.
Nueheisel chose USC for Grad School
It’s Neuheisel and it was law school. But glad to see you are so interested in the Bruins. I always thought you were only interested in SC and the Irish.
Actually I’m interested in all things USC just like you seem to be. Hardly a minute goes by without a post from you. Thanks for your patronage. I think I can secure a seat for you at the next game if you can afford it.
Mora has yet to fall for an auld FB Captain Hero/”Rescue Yarn.” And, I as far as I know, the UCLA AD hasn’t had to hold Mora’s hand during a FB game.
Yawn.
Need some sleep little bruin? HAWR-HAWR.
Furthermore, I heard that the meeting did not take place in Manhattan Beach but actually in nearby Lawndale.
Good read – your sources have the TEXAS side of things spot-on right. Everyone from TEXAS at the meeting knew that a good part of Mora’s success at UCLA was due to the USC sanctions and the PAC12 scheduling. USC played Oregon twice while under sanctions and UCLA did not play the Ducks. Look at the 2014 recruiting classes, UCLA is buried in the rankings. USC got all the play-makers and was ranked in the top 10 nationally. Look at the 2015 recruiting rankings of USC versus UCLA. UCLA is buried again, while USC looks to have another top 10 class in the making. Look at the performance in two games by the USC freshman versus the UCLA freshman, no comparison. Look at the attitude of the Trojan players, coaches and fans versus the flat-liner Bruins. 30,000 fans at the Rose Bowl last week and they booed the team. The reason UCLA will not win tomorrow is that a classy guy like Hundley, with all his talent, has finally figured out he was sold a “bill of goods” about UCLA. He has no supporting cast to get him to where he wants to be. He knows he’ll have to do it himself. We know that too, so we’ll stop him. He’ll get some completions and some yards with his feet tomorrow, but he won’t get a “W.” Sorry UCLA you’re not relevant.
Does any think the new discus notification interface sux? It opens a new page and only shows partial replies…
BFD!!!!!
What’s going on at practice?
Scottie, stop betting. you are not good at it. It must give you a lot of stress and depression… Is that why your face is always ashen, sunken and half shaved?
The only things that Scottie likes shaved are points so that he can cover the spread……
Funny, no hundley is mentioned from the self procalimed national championship team, called the ruins.