Mike London Era Underway in Charlottesville
New University of Virginia head football coach Mike London said all the right things up at the podium on Monday as he was introduced by Craig Littlepage. He talked about his dedication to academics, his former life as a cop in Richmond, and how important education is for his student athletes. He also said winning would be a huge priority. London said he would allow his coaches to have a voice in the media, something his predecessor only allowed for a meager one week a year. Coach London’s deal is 5 years at 1.7 million bucks per season.
London also has already reeled in his very first commitment, Gulliver Prep, 6-3 215 pound (Miami, Fl) star-quarterback Michael Strauss. Strauss would like to enroll in January, and the UVA administration is currently working on that whole process. January admission is not very common for anyone at Virginia, especially athletes, but it happens several times a year on the whole at the University. Strauss is an excellent student with a 3.4 GPA, and he played for former Virginia linebacker Earl Sims at Gulliver.
I’m not sure that the entire fan base of UVA is sold on the London hire, but I think that with the right academic support system from the University, London can get this team back to 7-8 wins a season. Coach London is from the talent-rich Hampton area, and garners a great deal of respect from a lot of coaches in the Tidewater area. If you win the battle with Virginia Tech for the 757, you can win 7-9 games a year. There is simply that much damn high school talent down there. Throw in some recruits from the DC area, a few from Richmond, then this program can get back to some sort of regional respect. London is currently trying to get his staff locked down in order to finish filling-out this current recruiting class. Hopefully, Anthony Poindexter will remain as the defensive backs coach!
What do you think UVA fans? If you did not buy season tickets last year, will this hire get you back on board? Fans look for London to be a much more pleasant presence in the McCue center than what’s been there in the past nine seasons. Can he beat Virginia Tech, Maryland, Duke and Carolina? Well, that remains to be seen. Go Hoos!
