You may agree with the posture coach Jim Mora has taken since the UConn football team won the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28. A system that allows teams to recruit another team’s players in the days leading up to a postseason game is obviously broken.
You may also see it through an eye roll, that the transfer portal swings two ways and Mora’s various social media posts about tampering are what used to be called “a grandstand play,” or sour grapes of a sort.
But you can’t deny there’s a crowd gathering here, popcorn in hand, and you should consider this for a moment: Here we are, right in the middle of the playoffs, and there is a segment of the national community talking about UConn, wait for it, football. You don’t build programs, you don’t overcome the obstacles that still exist here by staying silent and in the background. No noise is bad noise.
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So there’s a lot to be said for a coach who is willing to pick a fight for his program and his players. When Jim Calhoun took over the men’s basketball program in 1986, he was ejected from a game at Pittsburgh and roared in defiance afterward, there would be “no more dumping on Connecticut.”
I tend to see Mora’s tampering posts in that same vein.
First, Mora said, tagging the NCAA: “A simple note to the schools and coaches that have blatantly broken NCAA rules by tampering with our players in the last 24 hours. We do know who you are, we will pursue all avenues to hold you accountable. We are excited that we’ve built a program where coaches have to cheat to beat us and we will protect that program. Think hard before you tamper with our players.”
A couple of days later, Mora crossed the next line, naming a name: “‘I was originally content with my decision with coming to UConn,'” he posted, apparently quoting a player, but not saying which one. “‘feel like I allowed Washington State to get into my head when I could have just ignored them I expressed to them that I was signed but I continued to conversate.’
“… Why do grown men continue to manipulate NCAA football tampering rules and put players in the uncomfortable position this young man was put in(?) I promised to call out those tampering with our players and threatening what our players are working so hard to build. I intend to continue to do so and hope more college coaches will join me in fighting the blatant tampering taking place.”
On Friday, I reached out and offered Mora a chance to conversate a little more, but he chose a pause. “I think I made my point,” he said.
The transfer portal has indeed become the Wild West, literally in this case. If there was ever an unwritten commandment, “Thou shalt not fink on a fellow coach” for it may come back to roost, Mora’s taking his chances. Washington State, which is fairly close to Mora’s place in Idaho, was looking for a new coach and there was speculation here and there connecting Mora with the job. There could not have been serious interest as Mora, 62, signed an extension with UConn on Dec. 28 for considerably more ($2.5 million average annual value) than Washington State paid to get Jimmy Rogers (reports say $1.7 million) from South Dakota State. Rogers, 37 and coming from an FCS powerhouse, had yet to be introduced as the new Cougars’ coach when Mora issued his first social media salvo.
Maybe the Huskies and Cougs are destined to meet next year in a bowl game, a Tampa bowl game. Get it?
UConn football transfer portal updates: Jim Mora calls out Washington State for tampering
The true bump the UConn program will get from its 9-4 season and victory over dispirited North Carolina will not be known for a while. But if we can’t yet tell how seriously UConn is being taken out there, by conferences or by players still in the portal, it’s obvious more people are paying attention.
The Fenway Bowl, in addition to the 27,900 in the stands, was watched by 2.11 million viewers, which seems like a ratings win for an 11 a.m. start on ESPN. That’s about middle of the pack for non-playoff bowl games, and a large increase over Fenway’s attendance (16,200) and ratings (1.48 million) in 2023, albeit a weekday vs. a Saturday. Among bowl games that didn’t have two power conference opponents, only Navy-Oklahoma (2.85 million at noon on Dec. 27) and Toledo-Pitt (2.56 million at noon on Dec. 26) did better than UConn vs. North Carolina.
A year ago, anecdotally, UConn lost its impact tight end, Justin Joly, through the portal to NC State, where he had 43 catches for 661 yards and four TDs. This week, UConn picked up a promising tight end, Juice Vereen (four catches, 65 yards as a sophomore) from NC State through the portal. He was a four-star prospect out of high school.
And what UConn has is a coach willing to make noise, step on toes, shake up the establishment. Mora’s not going anywhere right now, and his program hovers as an uninvited guest in the college football news — a long way from a national power, sure, but a few tweets from becoming a national nuisance. And in case they haven’t gotten the message loud and clear out there: No dumping allowed.
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Honor for Windsor’s Alex Inyatkin
Windsor High senior Alex Inyatkin, who is on the cross country and indoor and outdoor track teams, was presented the Michael H. Savage Spirit in Sport Award, which is awarded annually to a student athlete who “examples the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics.”
Inyatkin, the son of former UConn basketball player Ruslan Inyatkin, was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis, and experienced as many as 80 seizures a day. To alleviate the seizures, he would undergo two brain surgeries at 18 months old. “Alex has autism, and he is really good with numbers,” his mother, Kerri Scott, said. “He remembers the time for every single race he’s ever run. He knows how much time he’s taken off of each race, he has it all in his head.”
He ran in the Class L championships with his teammates this past season. A talented musician, Alex also sang the national anthem at a recent Rangers game at Madison Square Garden and has also performed at Radio City. He has been free of seizures since his second surgery, but remains on anti-seizure medication.
He will be honored at the CIAC Scholar-Athlete banquet in May, and as Connecticut’s winner he is a candidate for the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) Section and National Spirit of Sport Awards.
“What Alex has overcome physically, emotionally and, in some cases, cognitively defies all barriers,” said Nichole Donzella, Windsor’s cross country coach, via the CIAC’s announcement.
Sunday short takes
*UConn’s Scott Oberg, 34, whose promising major-league career was cut short by injury and illness, has rejoined the Rockies’ organization as pitching coordinator. Perhaps he’ll be around Dunkin’ Park this summer to work with Yard Goats prospects.
*The UConn Name-Image-Likeness collective, “Bleeding Blue for Good,” has stopped taking contributions and will wind down and end its NIL operations in June, as it is anticipated revenue-sharing for collegiate athletes will replace collectives’ revenue at UConn. The group, which has had a key role in UConn’s athletics success the last couple of years, will distribute left over money to charity. Executive director Jared Guy Thomas said, via social media, he will stay in place as the organization continues to produce content via Storrs Central and work with athletes on marketing and endorsement opportunities.
*The world premier screening of “The Whalers,” a 95-minute documentary marking the 50th anniversary of Hartford’s dearly departed hockey team, has already been sold out at Cinestudio in Hartford on Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. The Wolf Pack will be celebrating the Whalers at their home game later that day.
*Now that UConn is playing both Boston College and UMass next season in football, does that mean it can take home the “Southwick Jug” as New England champs if it wins both? Asking for myself.
*Connecticut American Legion Baseball gave out its awards on Friday at the Aqua Turf in Southington. West Hartford Post 96 coach Sean McCann, who won the state title, was the obvious choice for coach of the year in the under-19 division, with Waterford’s Chris Gonet (under-17), Milford’s John Wezenski (U-15) and South Windsor’s Travis Edwards (U-13) also winning coach of the year honors. Long-time major-leaguer Rajai Davis, who played for New London Post 9, was alumnus of the year.
College players Dan Driscoll and JT Gunzy, Sacred Heart coach Pat Egan, umpire Kevin Moreland of the Eastern Board, Stamford coach Kevin Murray and Windsor Locks’ Dave Farr were honored.
*UConn baseball has a hot stove event scheduled for the Aqua Turf in Southington on Feb. 6.
*Since 1961, the NFL regular-season has gone from 12 to 14 games, then 14 to 16 in 1977 and 16 to 17 in 2021, so it should be unreasonable or considered disrespectful for any official record book to note these changes in marking single-season records.
*It was odd to see the Pacers waive UConn two-time champ Tristen Newton after the numbers he was putting up in the G-League, but apparently they wanted to open up a two-way contract slot and he preferred a release to other contractual options. Newton was quickly claimed by Minnesota and offered a new two-way deal.
“(The T-Wolves) are the team that was most high on him going into the draft,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said, “so I think he landed in a good spot. I know they’re excited to have him in their organization.”
Last word
If an NFL team is supposed to lose on purpose in order to get a higher draft pick, why not let them forfeit any game they don’t want to win? Refund the ticket and TV revenue. Would that be any more ridiculous than expecting players to risk their necks while trying to lose?