Jim Mora plans to stay on as Bruins coach

Jim Mora says he plans on staying at UCLA as football coach.

Tennessee and Auburn officials expressed interest in speaking with Mora about their vacancies, but no talks were held.

“It’s flattering to be mentioned for such prominent jobs, but I’m committed to UCLA,” Mora said Tuesday. “[Athletic Director] Dan Guerrero has been incredibly supportive, and we are determined to bring a national championship to UCLA.”

In his first season in Westwood, Mora has guided the Bruins to a 9-4 record, their best record since 2005 and a marked improvement over their 21-29 record in four seasons with Rick Neuheisel as coach.

The turnaround made Mora’s a popular name to drop when it came to speculating about various job openings across the country. It also left him as a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, it was announced Tuesday. The winner receives $50,000 to donate to the charity of his choice and a $20,000 donation to the school’s alumni association.

Mora will earn a little more than $2 million this year including incentives. When he was hired last December, he received a five-year contract with a total base salary and “talent fee” of $11.235 million.

The Bruins’ staff, including offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and defensive coordinator Lou Spanos, is expected to remain intact. Mazzone, Spanos and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm are under contract for the 2013 season.

UCLA is scheduled to open practice Saturday in preparation to play Baylor in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfosterlatimes