Jim Mora didn't just leave UConn for Colorado State this offseason — he's slowly rebuilding it there, one former Husky at a time. On3's Pete Nakos reports the expectation is that D'Mon Brinson, a UConn defensive back, will land at Colorado State to play for the same coach who recruited him in the first place.
The expectation is UConn DB transfer D'Mon Brinson will land at Colorado State with former head coach Jim Mora, sources tell @On3. t.co/5sse2v85y8
This one's got roots. Brinson was part of Mora's very first UConn recruiting class back in December 2021, signing out of Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale over offers from South Carolina, Middle Tennessee State and FAU. Mora was the guy who got him to Storrs. Now Mora's the guy pulling him out.
Mora bolted UConn for Colorado State in late November 2025, coming off back-to-back 9-win seasons — the program's first winning stretch like that since 2007 — and three bowl trips in four years. He reportedly had to pay UConn $1.5 million to get out early, and he's set to make $2.5 million a year running a Colorado State program that's stepping into the revamped Pac-12.
The move immediately triggered a portal stampede in Storrs. Running back Victor Rosa reportedly kicked off the exodus, and defensive backs Cam Chadwick and Chris Hudson followed, along with linebacker Oumar Diomande and several others. Brinson would just be the next name on a growing list of UConn players choosing to run it back with their old coach instead of sticking around for a new staff.
For Colorado State, it's less a transfer class than a reunion tour — Mora clearly trusts the guys who already know his defense, and grabbing a defensive back he personally recruited four years ago is about as low-risk as portal additions get. For UConn, it's the messier side of a coaching change: watching your own guy come back and pick off pieces of the roster he built.