Former UConn standouts put their faith in Jim Mora — here’s why Oumar Diomande, Juice Vereen decided to follow their coach to CSU

There are some things in life that money can’t buy and the biggest might just be trust.

Trust is the reason that 18 former UConn players elected to follow Jim Mora nearly 2,000 miles across the country to Colorado State. Trust is why despite being hot commodities in the transfer portal this past winter, former Husky standouts Oumar Diomande and Juice Vereen are both still playing for Mora at CSU in 2026.

Diomande, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker with an NFL body, racked up 116 tackles this past fall, including 65 solo stops and five sacks. After entering the portal this past December, programs like Penn State, North Carolina and SMU were interested in bringing the versatile defender into their locker rooms. The three-star transfer elected to follow the man who believed in him in the first place though. And now he’s in position to lead a revamped Rams defense in the inaugural season in the new Pac-12 instead of suiting up for a power four school somewhere.

In his first meeting with the local media, Diomande gave some insight into how significant of a factor his relationship with Mora was in determining his next destination after a breakout 2025 season. He explained that he had a lot of offers and could have gone to a variety of bigger schools, but the relationship that he has with his head coach is something that couldn’t be beat.

“I appreciate everything that he has done for me,” Diomande said. “And you know, I decided to follow him.”

Vereen, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end, coming off of a standout season in which he had 310 receiving yards and five touchdowns, also could have looked for greener pastures or deeper pockets. He initially was a four-star recruit out of high school and signed with NC State before then moving on to UConn. But as the athletic pass catcher told DNVR this week, his bond with coach Mora has been life changing.

“He really changed my perspective of life and football,” Vereen said. “He helped me see what’s important and what’s not important. And I just felt like, regardless of everything that was out there, all the different things that had my attention, this was the place that felt, you know, more like family. This place wasn’t made up, it wasn’t fake love, everything was just real. So I knew that I’d get that with Coach Mora. I knew the system, so it just felt like it was right.”

Vereen continued, explaining how Mora has pushed him every day that he’s played for the veteran football coach. Mentally, physically, Mora has challenged him and helped keep him on track in doing so.

“He helped me stay engaged in different ways, to stay involved as much as possible,” Vereen said. “Things were going good, but he was just keeping me on track. And that’s who he is, that’s the stuff you need in your life. So I’m just very grateful for Coach Mora and the opportunities he’s given me.”

Both Diomande and Vereen said that they’re encouraged by the progress the team has made at CSU in just a short period of time. A lot is different these days, which makes sense considering the roster turnover. Slowly but surely, things are starting to come together though. And the hard work these guys are putting in is beginning to pay off.

“It takes a lot,” Diomande said. “These practices are designed for us to, like, break down, quit or whatever. But you know, if you just keep your mind into it, you get the best out of it.”

“Everything is clicking pretty well,” Vereen said a few days later, adding that the bond of the group has really grown over the past couple of months.

The work is far from over. CSU is a long way away from being the type of program that the fans, administration, etc, are all dying to see. However, the road to relevance is just a little bit easier when you can start with high-character players like Oumar Diomande and Juice Vereen. We’re only just now starting to get to know these guys. But it’s clear how valuable their presence is with this team.