UVA Football Coaching Search Nuggets
Here are my top-two candidates to replace pilot, poet, chess player, and just recently 3-9 former UVA football coach, Al Groh.
Mike London head coach University of Richmond.
49 years old, native of Hampton, Virginia. Graduated in 1983 from UR, and is a former cop and detective in Richmond. London coached under Groh here at UVA, where he served as his defensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007. Mike is a players coach, but also a disciplinarian. He knows, and understands the academic challenges for top-recruits here at Virginia, as well as all of the major high school coaches in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He’s a defense-first coach, which is not my favorite, as I prefer a wide-open offensive-guy, but London is a rising-star coach in college football. London’s contract is not public, since Richmond is a private-school, and he is under contract till 2014, but Richmond’s last coach Dave Clawson had an out in his deal to coach in the NFL or a major FBS school, and I think London probably does as well. London is media savvy, and understands that folks here at UVA were tired of the often cantankerous Groh’s approach with the administration, as well as his utter disdain for the media.
Kevin Sumlin head coach University of Houston.
45 years old, native of Indianapolis, Indiana. Sumlin graduated in 1998 from Purdue University. Kevin was a linebacker in college, but strangely enough, he is an offensive-minded football coach. Sumlin, was the offensive coordinator for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma before leaving to run things at Houston, where he was the first african-american head-coach in their history. Sumlin knows how to score on offense, something that Virginia has totally forgotten how to do since the days of Herman Moore and Terry Kirby, and he understands how to recruit Texas, where football is king! Sumlin makes $700,000 at Houston, and has only been there for two years. Houston is 10-2 this year, and Louisville is trying to pry him away to become their coach. The Cougars athletic director Dave Maggard is scurrying attempting to up his salary, and keep him in Houston! UVA is going to have to be smart, and move quickly if they want Sumlin to turn this toilet-bowl of a program around anytime soon!
My bet’s on London, or perhaps an unknown to me stealth-hire, like the beautifully crazy, and out of left-field hire of Tony Bennett in hoops earlier this year! What do you think UVA fans? Do you like a London hire, or a Sumlin hire? Someone else on your mind? Sure, Charlie Strong, Chris Peterson…there are many other options out there, that’s for sure! Go Hoos!!!