The Jim Mora era is over in Westwood.
UCLA has relieved the head football coach of his duties, effectively immediately, the school announced on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Less than 24 hours after Mora's Bruins fell to crosstown rival USC, the coach is out. The decision was a surprise, considering the size of Mora's buyout ($12,275,000 as of Dec. 1, 2017, according to USA TODAY), but UCLA's season has been a massive disappointment. Starting with its rush defense -- which ranked dead last in the nation entering this weekend, an especially bad look for a defensive-minded coach -- the Bruins underachieved in almost every facet of the game except quarterback play in 2017, leading to a 5-6 record (3-5 in the Pac-12) with one game left.
Evidently, UCLA director of athletics Dan Guerrero had seen enough.
"Making a coaching change is never easy, but it's an especially difficult decision when you know that a coach has given his all to our University," Guerrero said, via a news release from the school. "Jim helped reestablish our football program, and was instrumental in so many ways in moving the program forward. While his first four seasons at UCLA were very successful, the past two seasons have not met expectations. We thank Jim and his family for his service to our school and his unquestionable commitment to our student-athletes."
Mora posted a record of 46-30 (28-26 in conference play) in six seasons at UCLA.
A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately, according to the release.
