It's the height of recruiting season, but Mike London was generous enough to spend an hour of his time with me. Recruits are walking in and out the building every day.
So while we settled into his office and made some small talk, I tried to think of what we have in common ... which led to the following exchange:
Me: "So, I assume with recruiting you haven't gotten a chance to see Tony Bennett's team yet?"
The 49-year-old football coach: "No, no - I went to the Miami game, and the make-up game." (Apparently the basketball players weren't the only ones who considered UNC-Wilmington, which followed the win against Miami, somewhat of an afterthought.)
We found our common ground. Excellent.
Later, as I got ready to leave London's office at the conclusion of the interview, he turned to me and asked, "Are you going to this?" He showed me a ticket for 'Step Up to the Plate,' the annual fundraiser for the Virginia baseball team.
The message was clear: Mike London wants to immerse himself in the Virginia community. He talked about trying to plan a meeting with the presidents of all the fraternities and sororities to try to create some new traditions at home football games.
He suggested orange afros.
He stressed that he can't bring Virginia back to prominence by himself and needs the full support of the community. He even tried to solicit my help before the interview had started; I have soft hands.
In yesterday's edition of The Cavalier Daily, London talked about his life experiences and how they shaped him as a coach. Today, he unveils his master plan.
What did you learn about Virginia football in your six years as an assistant and coordinator here, and what do you think has changed since you left or needs to change now that you've returned as head coach?
I've learned that outside of these walls that, nationally, there are people that respect and acknowledge a Virginia education - the degree, the opportunities and the doors that it can open for you. I've come to learn that, from a football standpoint, there's tremendous history here - from the George Welsh days, in terms of taking a program of nothing and turning it into a program of significance. That, in the years that coach [Al] Groh was here and we were here and having winning seasons and bowl games, capped off with the Gator Bowl, which is one of those Jan. 1 bowls - something you always try to get to.
And then having stepped away on the outside looking in, just seeing that the state of Virginia is big enough for two teams to be really good, you know what I mean? The state of Virginia has enough talent and enough opportunities here that two teams can do well. I believe that. They're two different kind of schools - the profile of the student-athletes that we recruit are different, although both schools educate the student-athletes who go there. We're just different, and that's the bottom line with that - you can be successful. And you can enjoy the best of both worlds opportunity here - it's being done at Stanford, Northwestern, Cal and it was done at Richmond. So, that's the goal.
I'm a high school senior, and Frank Beamer just visited my house a week ago. I'm thinking about going to Virginia Tech. Now, Mike London comes to my door. What does he tell me? What does he say about Virginia football and why I should come to U.Va.?
If I'm coming to your door, obviously there's two things that you have: You have the academic capabilities to do well here, and you have the athletic abilities to help us win and for us to help you materialize and develop your skills. Whatever preconceived notions that you might have had about Virginia football - I would say that was then, this is now.
Hopefully reflective of the type of men that I've hired on staff here. Reflective of the culture that's gonna be created in terms of what I believe that you have to have in order to be successful. And not just on-the-field things. There's off-the-field things that can take priority, which will lead to on-the-field success. Building young men of character: Go to class, show class and treat people with dignity and respect ... We're not entitled to anything, we don't belong here just because we're this and that. I'm a product of a military man, 25 years Air Force. My dad always believed that what you do speaks so loud, I can't hear what you say.
What role do you envision for coach [Jim] Reid as 'associate head coach' in addition to being defensive coordinator?
He's been a head coach before, couple of different places. You learn this only when you become a head coach and when you're an assistant: A lot of times the head coach makes a decision that maybe as an assistant you don't quite get it or understand it - but there's a perspective that he has, when you have to make decisions like that, that he can also echo those sentiments ... Having been a head coach, he can make suggestions in the matters of recruiting, or the practice schedule, or whatever, because he's had to make those evaluations and decisions himself. So, I value that type of experience he has - so that's why we gave him the title that I think he deserved.
You've stated your intention to use the 4-3. What advantages do you see in that particular scheme and how difficult do you think it will be to convert a defense that has operated in the 3-4 to the 4-3?
The stand-up outside linebackers can now become the down-rush defensive ends. The players that were head-up now can get on the edge and rush the passer and do different things. So, I think from a mindset, it changes. I know it's hard to recruit high school players to be a 3-4 defensive lineman because of the prerequisite of size, bulk, things like that. It's easier to find a high school young man who might be at 215 now, and you project him as a "Will" linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. Or, you know what, he's gonna gain 25 more pounds, and project him as a down-lineman in a 4-3 scheme - he can rush the passer. So, that process, too, will change as we go ahead and recruit. It goes back to recruiting - all the commitments that held firm, and obviously there were some recruited for the 3-4 defense, but I think in looking at them, at the transition from where they were projected to where we think they can be in a 4-3 scheme, we think we can make that transition seamlessly ... I recruited Cam Johnson as a defensive end - I think he could do well. I recruited Nick Jenkins. I was here when Matt [Conrath] was like Bambi - he was like all sticks and bones - and now you watch him grow and develop, imagine him getting on the edge and doing some things. He played with a high-ankle sprain the last couple games, and now is getting himself back healthy. So, just excited about opportunities for guys like that to hopefully be able to put him in position to make plays.
Can you talk about what you're going to do with the offense? Shawn Moore was on the phone recently and talked about how U.Va. tried to use a spread offense last year, but just didn't have the personnel.
You think about this school in years past, you've had first-round draft pick offensive lineman - this is a place [with] offensive linemen, tight ends, good running backs, quarterbacks that can handle the play action pass and manage the game - things like that. And rely on some toughness and athleticism on the edge, talking about the wide receivers. I think we have to be able to run the ball, run the ball with authority. You have to be able to keep the clock moving at the end of the game by running the ball, but you also have to be able to protect the quarterback and say, 'You know what, we got one of the best wide receivers, let's block it up and throw it down deep. Let's get the ball out in space to the playmakers' ... Everything will be new. There's nothing that'll be the same offensively and defensively, so the terminology, the play-numbering, the play-calling, all that - so there's a learning curve for everybody. Michael Strauss is here - he's a mid-year quarterback from Gulliver Prep, he's here. Of course Marc [Verica] is here. Ross Metheny is the other quarterback. Riko Smalls is another quarterback prospect. So, the thing now - to find out who can do what, and who can do it better than who and then go from there.
Quite simply, what are your expectations for next year's team?
First and foremost, my expectations are to make sure that those three things I talked to you about, going to class, showing class - the change in the culture from that standpoint - we gotta do a better job of being students. We gotta do a better job of being athletes. I think the first part of this is to set those expectations back in motion again that you're here to get an education, but we're also here to compete and play. So I think you can take care of foundational things, as I did at Richmond, I think what you'll see on the field will speak for itself. And I'm excited about that. I'm excited about the talent that's here, the mindset about who we're gonna recruit, those things like that. The positive energy that we've gotten since we've gone into some of these households. We've been all over - from Florida to Georgia, to Jersey, to Connecticut, but particularly in-state in Virginia - the positive feedback that we've gotten ... To be reflected in not this year's class, although this year's class is a good class, but next year's class will be my first recruiting class.
Coach Groh was defensive coordinator last year, so clearly he had a lot of influence on play-calling. Can you speculate right now how much influence you will have on play-calling?
Part of the process of that is getting together with your staff prior to spring, during spring as to how I envision we need to play both offensively and defensively. I think the benefit of being a defensive coach for such a long time - you have an idea of how offensively what things can hurt you defensively, and vice versa. Being able to interject the way you think we have to play ... We're gonna have one of the best corners in the country, and that's Ras-I Dowling. He's gonna be a first-round draft pick before it's all said and done. Don't wanna put too much pressure on him, but he's a tremendous talent. And when you have corners and safeties like Rodney McLeod, guys like that, then you have the ability to do things. That's why it's exciting to see going into spring practice as I watch winter workouts, and then as we're in spring practice as I'm watching to see how we craft this thing."
What do you plan to do differently from coach Groh to transform a program that's had three losing seasons in the past four years to be more successful?
One is I've talked to more media people than I can remember in the last - Look, I understand that I want people to get to know the team. I want the team to know the community. I want the students to get to know the team, people to know the coaches. And I think providing a window like that - and to see we're just regular guys like you, I think that's important. Hopefully the style of play and the attitude and the energy is something that catches on, wanting to get involved out there in the sororities and the fraternities - things like that. It's something that probably hasn't been done before, but that's part of my nature - to be inclusive. Also do my job, win games, educate these guys so they can graduate.
What is the ideal 'Mike London Player' like?
The ideal? A guy that's focused and committed, a guy who loves, loves the game and has a lot of energy and passion. When you turn on the tape, the film and you say, 'The prototypical, alright, he's 6-foot-6 and blah blah blah.' Turn on the film and look at that guy play, and you can tell he loves to play football. And that's me - I'll take a bunch of those guys like that. In the end, when it's a tough game, you gotta give everything you got. Sometimes, that talented player, if things are kind of tough - all that talent he has - he didn't rise to the occasion. But you got a guy who loves to play and has passion and energy - you can win a lot of games with that.
Coach Reid said he had a conversation with coach Welsh a few years back, and Welsh said, 'We did it right, we can win a national championship.' In your view, what does it mean to do it the right way?
Not sacrificing your principles or morals, in terms of recruiting a young man. You don't have to cheat to do things. There are a certain set of NCAA rules and regulations that you live by. You go in the homes of people and parents and you rep them with integrity and honor. You look a parent in the eye and say, 'I'm gonna take care of your son,' and mean it. And then in the end, the greatest accomplishment will be in the development of that player and that person ... And then win games along the way, have fun and win games along the way.
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