• Loading stock data...
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Nominations Are Open for Front Office Sports Honors! Submit Now

UConn Coach Jim Mora Jr. Threatens Rivals Over ‘Tampering’ In Portal

One of the Huskies’ best players is in the transfer portal, and Mora implied that other programs were illegally contacting his players.

Jim Mora Jr
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

UConn football coach Jim Mora Jr. sent an ominous message to other coaches after one of his best players re-entered the transfer portal on Monday.

“A simple note to the schools and coaches that have blatantly broken [NCAA] rules by tampering with our players in the last 24 hours,” Mora started his note.

The coach was aggravated after star defensive lineman Pryce Yates went back in the portal. Yates had entered the portal earlier in December and then said on Dec. 21 that he was returning to Storrs. Mora accused other coaches of illegally contacting his players and said he would report them.

 “We do know who you are, we will pursue all avenues to hold you accountable,” he wrote. “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 federal consent decree agreed to earlier this year means that the NCAA may not restrict players’ right to transfer. The settlement between the NCAA and Justice Department came after a federal judge temporarily blocked all transfer restrictions in December of last year.

But some NCAA restrictions on coaches and schools remain. 

In theory, coaches and staffers are not allowed to contact players on other teams until those players enter the transfer portal, which opened this year from Dec. 9 to Dec. 28, with extensions for teams like UConn playing in later bowls.

In practice, tampering is rampant, and coaches have complained to the media about it every winter in the portal era. Mora is only the latest to threaten to snitch on his coaching brethren, but enforcement has been spotty at best. 

Georgia coach Kirby Smart explained the slippery nature of defining tampering last year.

“So look, if kids are exploring to leave, it’s really hard to police. Ask the NCAA,” Smart told the Associated Press. “If a kid goes to his trainer or high school coach, well, in our program we have people talking to those trainers and high school coaches. Word of mouth spreads that a guy’s not happy and he’s looking. Next thing you know he’s in the portal and he’s already got somewhere that he wants to go.”

In a follow-up post, Mora said he had no issues with players’ rights to pick a school and get paid; he was only annoyed by coaches breaking the rules.

“Not sure how we fix it, I do know we don’t ignore it,” he wrote. “I’m 100% for the Portal and NIL/Rev Share. I’m 100% against grown men cheating the rules and teaching players horrible Life lessons.”

In a rare case of an investigation and penalty, the NCAA announced tampering violations by Southern Utah in May. The Thunderbirds are an FCS team, and head coach DeLane Fitzgerald received a slap on the wrist for illegally calling and texting two players. 

SUU’s football team was put on one year of NCAA probation, and Fitzgerald was suspended for one game. He was also put on a two-year show-cause order—making it harder for other programs to hire him—and hit with a slew of minor recruiting restrictions.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Flau'Jae Johnson

Flau’jae Johnson Picks LSU Over WNBA Draft

The LSU star and rapper will stay another year in school.
Dawn Staley

Women’s March Madness Has a Portal Problem. Can GMs Solve It?

Final Four coaches are calling agents and players between practices.
Mar 30, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close looks on against the LSU Lady Tigers during the first half of a Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena.

UCLA’s Rise to the Final Four: Cori Close’s Blueprint for a New..

The UCLA women’s team is in the Final Four for the first time in the NCAA era.

Featured Today

Dec 27, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates during warm ups before their game against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center at San Jose

Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks Rookies Have Brought Good Vibes to a..

The rookie’s arrival has boosted spirits incongruously high inside the flagging franchise.
Mar 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the first half Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
April 1, 2025

The Creator Behind the LeBron ‘Glazing’ Trend Sweeping TikTok

FOS spoke to TikTok user OkaySpade who made the original song.
Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys manager Amir Khan before a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Amica Mutual Pavilion
April 1, 2025

Inside the 24-Hour NIL March Madness Deals

Some of the most viral partnerships come together overnight.
Seattle Kraken
April 1, 2025

Samantha Holloway Is Seattle’s NHL Present—and Hopeful NBA Future

Samantha Holloway is steering the Kraken and hoping to revive pro hoops.
Mar 31, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) makes a heart symbol to the crowd after a Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the USC Trojans at Spokane Arena.

Women’s Hoops Keeps Climbing: Clark’s Boom to Bueckers’s Moment

This year’s tournament has averaged 967,000 viewers.
Sep 16, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Sacramento State Hornets players pose for a photo after the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium.
April 3, 2025

Sacramento State Applies for Waiver to Transition to FBS

The Hornets would need the NCAA to approve a waiver to switch to FBS.
Mar 30, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson reacts after cutting the net for the Midwest Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
April 3, 2025

‘Overlooked’ Big 12 Has Quietly Succeeded During Men’s March Madness

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark says the conference has won big, too.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
April 2, 2025

In the NIL Era, College Basketball’s Biggest Programs Keep Winning

Only Power 4 teams qualified for the men’s Sweet 16.
April 2, 2025

SEC, Big Ten Secure $3M Payouts From Women’s March Madness

Each unit is estimated to be about $113,636.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Olivia Miles (5) celebrates a three-pointer as TCU Horned Frogs face off with Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Sweet 16 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
April 1, 2025

Olivia Miles Delays WNBA Dreams: Why She Chose the Transfer Portal

Miles was the projected No. 2 overall pick.
April 1, 2025

Women’s Elite Eight Ratings Down 53%, Still Top Pre–Caitlin Clark Years

UConn wasn’t in the most-watched game for the first time.