It was initially reported by the Tidewater-area Daily Press last Friday, with further reporting by the Charlottesville Daily Progress yesterday, that current Virginia defensive coordinator Mike London has interviewed with Old Dominion University officials about their head football coaching job.
In 2009, after the matriculation of two recruiting classes, Old Dominion University will begin play on the gridiron. The Daily Press also reported that in addition to London, William & Mary assistant head coach Bob Solderitch has also interviewed for the job. Last Thursday, London supposedly toured the ODU campus and facilities, according to the Daily Press.
London, currently under contract with Virginia, formerly coached at various levels for the Houston Texans, Boston College, the University of Richmond and the College of William & Mary. He came back to the Cavaliers' staff last offseason with high accolades as the stabilizing force on a staff marred with turnover. Four coaches had left Virginia to go elsewhere -- three for head coaching positions. London had previously coached as part of Al Groh's original staff in Charlottesville from 2001 to 2004.
Did you ever see the guy in orange jumping up and down on the sideline whenever Virginia made a play this fall, on offense or defense? That figure was likely Mike London. Always known as a solid recruiter, London kept that reputation and earned another as a catalyst for Virginia come game day.
Despite rumors that London has just been interviewing "for practice," there are obvious personal draws toward the ODU job. For one, it would bring London closer to his family's hometown of Hampton. On a professional level, the opportunity to be a head coach and lead a program literally from the ground up must be enticing for an ambitious guy like London.
But, I'd rather not dissect the personal and professional factors playing into a decision like this. It's not my life and it's not my career.
I will, however, address the possible implications for Virginia if London is offered the job and agrees to go to Old Dominion.
Jan. 24, the Cavalier football schedule was announced for 2007. In a year when Groh probably needs to win at least eight games to keep his job, the schedule conveniently includes nine or 10 very winnable matchups. To avoid scrutiny from a fan base that is restless and may already be shifting toward the basketball court, Groh obviously needs to lead a 180-degree turnaround from his team's 5-7 performance of 2006.
Without Mike London, that task becomes much more difficult. Outside of Jameel Sewell, the only bright spot during the 2006 campaign was London's tenacious, aggressive and viable defense. Age-old weaknesses in the secondary suddenly became strengths. The defensive line saw not only one star emerge (Chris Long) but also a second (Jeffrey Fitzgerald).
While the Cavaliers ranked last or next-to-last in the ACC in total offense, rushing offense, passing offense and scoring offense, they were among the best in the conference defensively, finishing fourth in total defense and third in passing defense.
London has also been the key recruiter for a number of stud 2007 Cavalier commits, including OL Lamar Milstead, LB J'Courtney Williams, and DT Nick Jenkins. A number of 2008 recruits are already tagged as being recruited by London.
In just one year since returning to Charlottesville, London has made an impact on and off the field. Losing him equates not only to a second consecutive offseason of significant instability, but also to a tangible deficit on the defensive end of the field.
It is fortunate for Virginia that the ODU coaching search will extend slightly beyond today's signing day for college football recruits; otherwise, London's impact could have been felt in painful de-commits that would undermine a strong 2007 class that he helped build.
Outside of that, however, if London accepts an opportunity at ODU, it would be unlikely that Virginia would be able to hire a defensive coordinator who would make as immediate an impact as he has. But the larger consequences of losing London won't be visible until the fall, when the Cavaliers commence the most important season in Al Groh's tenure. In his postseason press conference, Groh laid out his expectations for a 2007 campaign where "the prize can be a lot greater" than it potentially was in 2006.
Fans have largely agreed, adding a tough stipulation: Another losing season and you're gone. In fact, most agree that with such talent, expectations and a cushy schedule, anything less than an eight-win season should provoke Groh's dismissal.
If Mike London does leave (and I still want to emphasize the "if"), you would see public smiles because of the respect that London carries in Virginia football circles. Everyone would wish him well, including Al Groh, who has previously pushed London's candidacy for positions elsewhere.
But in the days following London's potential departure, questions like those we discussed before the 2006 season would reemerge for Virginia. This time, however, the stakes would be much higher, with Groh's job on the line amongst perceived disarray. "Rebuilding" was for 2006; a greater prize supposedly awaits in 2007.
Yet, without the services of Mike London, the journey toward that prize becomes much more difficult for Al Groh. And assuming Groh realizes this, you can bet it is pretty tense over at the McCue Center right now. Groh's future may well depend on how London's situation plays out.
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