Jim Mora is a student at the University of Connecticut and lives on a hill above the campus.
The location, the connection to the community and the six-minute walk of a commute are all positives for him. There is a spooky soundtrack of doors opening at night.
He said with a laugh that he was convinced it was haunted.
The 60-year-old Mora is embracing the presence of new ghosts while trying to exorcise a few of his own as he tries to bring the football team back from the dead.
"I warn everyone that it's haunted, but they're good ghosts," Mora said, laughing.
The ability to find positive among the haunted is a necessary personality trait when taking over a program that went 1-11 last year and hasn't played in a bowl in two years.
The football world will see a familiar face Saturday when the University of Connecticut plays at Utah State.
One of the sport's most unexpected unions is Mora's return to the University of Connecticut, where he will collide with a program that needed a shot and a coach who wanted another shot. Can he revive the football program at the University of Connecticut?
After getting fired at UCLA, Mora wanted to show he could build a winner. The Randy Edsall tenure was a complete flop. Edsall left the University of Connecticut last September after the school won just six games in two years.
I wanted to go back in time. I was okay with it if it didn't happen. He said he was happy in Idaho. I felt like I needed this opportunity. It's what I like to do and I'm passionate about it. I enjoy helping these kids. I'm at a point in my life where I don't care about anyone else.
Mora has been playing football for a long time. He's the son of Jim Mora, who was the head coach of the National Football League's Oakland Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons. Mora has worked for or with many different members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Junior Seau, Jerry Rice and Bill Walsh are just some of the people.
Mora had been living in Sun Valley where his hobby gave him the training he needed for his new job as a coach.
Mora, who was hired by the University of Connecticut in November, said he had 600,000 vertical feet of hiking and mountain biking in his previous life. The world's tallest mountain, Everest. The transition made sense.
Taking over a program like this is a challenge. It makes me want to live.
Mora is excited by the challenge he is facing. Almost half of the scholarship players that weren't on the team last year have been brought in since November. The new chapter of Mora is indicative of how college football rosters are built.
Mora is concerned about keeping the staff together because of the need for talent and the fact that most of the coaches are in their 30's.
David Benedict, the athletic director at the University of Connecticut, said that it's fun to see the energy around the program. The guys are having fun and that's what you have to see at practice or in the building. The part has been enjoyable. It wasn't present the last few years.
The former Maine head coach is praised by Mora. The school announced last week that the defense was taking a personal leave of absence due to the fact that LouSpanos had taken a personal leave of absence. Mora has a history on that side of the ball.
Mora said he wrestled with a constant tension while he was at UCLA. He lived close to campus in Manhattan Beach, but he had to choose between his time with his players or with his four kids.
He said that he felt like he was in conflict because he wanted to split his time so he didn't feel guilty.
Mora's oldest child is a sophomore at Colorado. He told his dad that it was time for him to coach again.
Mora said that it wasn't easy. The conflict has been made easier by the fact that there is one kid in college. Mora married Kathy in July after filing for divorce from his previous wife.
Mora said there was no conflict now. I love putting more into the kids in this program. I like college football more than the pros. The people that are in the program are more impacted by you.
Mora admits that he had a sour taste in his mouth after he was fired at UCLA. He was the head coach of the Bruins for six years and led them to five bowl seasons. In the three years after he left, UCLA won just 10 games. The Bruins won eight games last year.
The way it ended at UCLA was not something I liked. I should have been allowed to stay. The last four years have been bear that out.
He said he shouldn't have been let go. It's possible to write that. I should have been allowed to stay. They won 18 games in four years after I was fired.
There is a chip on my shoulder. I don't know if I wanted another chance. It's definitely true.
During a recent visit to his office, Mora was most enthusiastic about the upside of the University of Connecticut. The University of Connecticut has always had high-end facilities for a Group of 5 program, and Mora prefers the setup of the school over the one he built at UCLA.
Better practice fields, a cafeteria for the players and better overall logistics are some of the things he mentioned. He said he would take it over from UCLA. There is no traffic at the parking facility. I would take it ten times over UCLA.
Outside of the stadium location, the bones of the program are strong. Mora pointed to Penn State transfer quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson and LB Jackson Mitchell as the linchpin pieces who could help the team develop an identity in the first year.
Mora said that the team needed to figure out ways to hang in games and win them in the fourth quarter.
Syracuse, Michigan, NC State, and Boston College are some of the challenges on the schedule after the opener at Utah State.
As Mora works to rebuild the roster, the notion of the University of Connecticut's place in the football universe remains difficult to comprehend. Success in ambiguity is shrouded by the fact that the Huskies are not in a conference. It is a difficult question. Mora thinks about it a lot.
What can be done to make the University of Connecticut a reality? The first steps back to relevancy are what will determine that. Mora's ability to connect with players and recruits was praised by the former UCLA athletic director.
Mora is living up to the scouting report. He has built the foundation on which he can return.
Benedict said there was no question that he could coach. He knows football. From a recruiting standpoint, seeing that play out with the kids on the team and how he relates to them. He puts in a lot of effort to recruit.
He's exceeded my expectations, that's for sure.
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