1. UCLA
Industry sources have told us that Jim Mora is the likeliest of the college coaches to make a jump to the pro level. In Mora’s case, it would be a return. Mora went 31-33 in four seasons in the NFL, where he last coached Seattle in 2009. He’s 41-24 at UCLA, where injuries — including one to star QB Josh Rosen — primarily led to a 4-8 2016 season.
If it opened, coaches and agents agree that UCLA feels like the absolute best fit for Kelly’s return. It’s the league he knows best and a city and state in which he has recruited for years. Kelly would immediately cast a bigger spotlight than the more understated Clay Helton at USC — and it’s not often that UCLA can steal away football attention from its crosstown rival.
There’s an alternate route for Kelly to Westwood, as well: Mora enters 2017 on the hot seat. Some sources, however, wonder if the school, known for being fiscally tight, would pay both Mora’s buyout and whatever Kelly commanded. This could be the unique candidate to make an exception.
