It was a somber scene Sunday morning when Mike London addressed the Cavalier football team for the final time as head coach. Both he and his players reportedly were brought to tears.
That’s not typically how football firings go. But then again, London wasn’t the typical football coach. Even after a 2-10 season in 2013, his involvement in the Charlottesville community and support from his players bought him another two years at Virginia.
But after six seasons and a 27-46 record, athletic director Craig Littlepage and Associate Athletic Director Jon Oliver finally realized London was not cut out for the job. Virginia announced his resignation Sunday morning.
And as Littlepage and Oliver embark on the new coaching search, this time around, it appears they have their priorities straight.
“In our search, we will look for a coach who’s demonstrated the ability to implement his system and achieved a consistent level of success,” Littlepage said. “The coach will have experience recruiting and developing student-athletes who fit his profile for success on the field and in the classroom.”
This is the Tony Bennett effect. When Littlepage and Oliver hired him in 2009, Bennett had already effectively orchestrated his packline defense, won a national coach of the year award and shown a commitment to his players on and off the court at Washington State. As Cavalier fans will attest, he was a home-run hire.
Virginia took a similar approach when hiring baseball coach Brian O’Connor in 2003. O’Connor brought the same pedigree as Bennett, as he had served for multiple years as the associate head coach at Notre Dame, earning the National Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2001.
Both men took a team in shambles and built it to national relevance, with O’Connor winning a national championship in 2015. And despite its close losses and talented roster, Virginia football is a long way from becoming a consistent winner.
Unable to even eke out a .500 record in the Coastal — arguably the worst division in any power-five conference — Virginia needs an overhaul. It’s time to scrap the cheesy-looking uniform combinations and the adventures of Cavman. If the Cavaliers want to be taken seriously, they need to take themselves seriously.
The first step is hiring the right coach — an experienced leader who knows how to win at the D-IA level.
No more coaches like Al Groh, who despite being an excellent X’s and O’s tactician, burned just about every recruiting bridge in Virginia. His NFL background didn’t prepare him for the recruiting trail and dealing with student-athletes.
And no more coaches like Mike London, who despite possessing all of the intangibles, had no experience leading a program. Virginia was his first D-IA head-coaching gig, and he was simply way in over his head.
And for that matter, no more defensive-minded coaches. Both Groh and London had coordinator experience on the defensive side of the ball, and neither fielded a consistent offense, which is a necessity in this day and age.
It seems other schools are of the same mindset given the most recent hirings. Virginia Tech has locked up former Memphis coach Justin Fuente. Meanwhile, Iowa State snagged Toledo coach Matt Campbell and Central Florida will ink Bowling Green’s Dino Babers. All three were D-IA head coaches, and all three had offensive backgrounds.
So where does that leave Virginia now that Fuente, Campbell and Babers are off the table?
The obvious choice would be Mark Richt, who was fired after a 9-3 season at Georgia Sunday. Richt brings the experienced pedigree, and the fact that he interviewed for the Virginia job in 2000 doesn’t hurt either. But Richt was rumored to be considering retirement anyway. Who knows if he even wants to coach this season?
Houston’s Tom Herman would be a popular hire, but after withdrawing his name from the South Carolina search, he seems content to stay put. Temple’s Matt Rhule has been a name thrown around at Missouri and Maryland, although Temple is willing to up his salary to keep him around.
Some options can be eliminated entirely. After a failed stint at Coastal-rival Miami, Al Golden shouldn’t be considered at Virginia. Neither should Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo or Air Force’s Troy Calhoun due to their triple option background. And if Littlepage stays true to his statement, young coordinators such as Notre Dame’s Mike Sanford are out of the question as well.
So maybe Utah State’s Matt Wells is the guy. Or Western Kentucky’s Jeff Brohm. Don’t sleep on Greg Schiano either.
Despite vacancies all across the land, Virginia has options. It’s by no means the best job available — it won’t compete for guys with Georgia and South Carolina — but given that London was due to make $3.2 million in 2016, it’s certainly not the worst one either.
Littlepage and Oliver know what they are looking for in their next football coach –— an offensive tactician who is an experienced leader both on and off the field. Virginia football is ready for change, and after the failed tenures of Groh and London, the program finally appears to be on the right track.
Read More
Ballet, Virginia football, and one wacky idea: the other side of NIL
By Michael Liebermann | 7 hours agoFive Cavalier football players joined local ballerinas for a session earlier this year.
Men’s basketball holds off Manhattan to snap losing streak
By Emory Huffman | YesterdayVirginia picked up its fourth win of the season, but did not do it convincingly.
TILOCK: Virginia football is the ultimate sunk cost fallacy
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayAn unwillingness to give up on personnel has doomed the Cavaliers, and it is time for change.
