No idea where Borzello gets his sources and don't get why it would be mentioned in the article, if he writes that Mooney has not informed anyone about the decision.
I don't think it's that farfetched of an idea that Mooney will retire sooner than he stated and sometime before his current contract ends. We know that Mooney is not going to deviate from his offensive system and we know that he prefers high school recruits that can develop over 4-5 years. He probably recognizes that neither of this is practical in today's college hoops era. If he is not willing to adapt, then it'll lead to seasons like this more often than not.
I wonder if the idea has crossed his mind to retire from head coaching. A lot of other coaches who had been in college basketball for awhile, have done so. I could see our department offering him an advisory role or GM-like role with our basketball program. He can remain involved participating in peripheral matters, while not directly over seeing the recruiting/NIL/basketball scheme that can be stress inducing. Could be a win-win situation all around.