As Colorado State heads into the new-look Pac-12, the Rams are turning to a familiar name from the old Pac-12.

On Wednesday morning, CSU officially announced the hiring of UConn’s Jim Mora, who previously coached at UCLA, as the program’s next coach.

The 64-year-old Los Angeles native is in his 10th season as a college head coach, but he also has four years of head coaching experience in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06) and the Seattle Seahawks (2009).

Mora will become the 23rd head coach in Rams program history, replacing Jay Norvell, who was fired in the middle of this season after going 18-26 since taking over in 2022.

“Our goal from the very start was to execute a comprehensive search to find the next leader of the Colorado State football program,” CSU athletic director John Weber said in a statement. “We did that, and it was extremely energizing to have such significant interest from so many accomplished coaches. From our very first conversation, coach Mora’s desire to serve student-athletes, his comprehensive experience, and passion to win was evident. I could not be more excited to welcome Jim and his wife Kathy to CSU and Fort Collins.”

The son of a coach, Mora has spent the majority of his life living and working on the West Coast. He spent part of his childhood in Boulder while his dad, also named Jim Mora, was an assistant coach at Colorado from 1968-73. His dad is best known for his time as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints (1986-96) and the Indianapolis Colts (1998-01).

The younger Mora went on to play at Washington before spending the majority of his coaching career on the West Coast with the then-San Diego Chargers, the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and at UCLA, where he was the head coach from 2012-17.

As a college head coach, Mora has compiled a record of 73-53 with one appearance in the Pac-12 championship game (2012) and he is in the midst of back-to-back nine-win seasons at UConn.

“I would like to thank President Amy Parsons, Director of Athletics John Weber, and all those involved for providing Kathy and me this very special opportunity,” Mora said. “I am truly humbled to join CSU as we transition to the Pac-12 Conference. I am excited to meet the team and look forward to connecting with the former players. I can’t wait for our family to become part of the Northern Colorado community.”