Changes Hit Football Staff

(Editor's Note: Shortly after the initial release of SabreMail, an official statement from UVa head football coach Al Groh was delivered to the media. That statement has been added below. We apologize if you are receiving a duplicate copy of SabreMail this week. - Kris Wright, Editor, TheSabre.com)

One week after the University of Virginia decided not to extend the contract of head football coach Al Groh, multiple reports have indicated that changes are being made on Groh's football staff. The Daily Progress, Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Daily Press, and Rivals all have reported that offensive coordinator Mike Groh, defensive line coach Levern Belin, and Steve Bernstein will not be retained on the staff. Read the various news reports in Sabre NewsLink.

The younger Groh has been a lightning rod for criticism since taking over the offensive coordinator duties before the 2006 season. In three years as offensive coordinator, the Cavaliers have ranked near the bottom of Division I in total offense and have struggled to consistently produce on that side of the ball. Also the quarterbacks coach, Groh had to deal with a rotating cast of starting quarterbacks in Christian Olsen, Kevin McCabe, Jameel Sewell, Peter Lalich, Marc Verica, and Vic Hall (one game) over the course of those three seasons. Mike Groh joined the UVa staff in 2001.

Belin and Bernstein, meanwhile, joined the defensive staff midway through Al Groh's tenure. Belin became a Cavalier assistant in 2005 and has coached the defensive line in some capacity throughout his stay. Bernstein has been the defensive backs coach and assistant head coach since coming to the staff in 2006.

An official statement from Al Groh was released Monday afternoon. He will not comment further on the staff vacancies until they are filled through a national search:

"Since the end of the season, I have done the annual review of every aspect of our program in order to make our plans to move forward to the next season. Part of that moving forward will involve changes in our systems and staff.

The change in systems will be made to utilize the player talent available to us from our current roster and incoming players, and the changes in the staff will be made to accommodate those schemes. Accordingly, Michael Groh, Steve Bernstein and Levern Belin will step down from their positions. Steve will retire and Mike and Levern will pursue career opportunities.

These men have served Virginia football with commitment, integrity and loyalty and I appreciate them and their efforts. There are no scapegoats here, the head coach is responsible for the team.

Bob Pruett will move to the position of assistant head coach/defense with Bob Diaco becoming defensive coordinator. Anthony Poindexter will move from running backs to defensive secondary.

We are excited about the options and opportunities open to our team and the positive energy they will generate."

With the news hitting the message boards over the weekend, speculation on replacements naturally became the hot topic among the fans. Ron Prince, who worked as offensive coordinator at UVa from 2003-2005, is one of the names often mentioned as a possibility, in large part because he is jobless after a stint at Kansas State. However, Jeff White posted on his blog at The Richmond Times-Dispatch this morning that Prince has not had discussions about the position. Read it here.

Stay tuned to The Sabre for more news about the coaching staff situation as it develops.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Fresh off a commitment from Lafayette (Williamsburg, VA) defensive end William Hill, the Virginia Cavaliers hosted Brooke Point (Stafford, VA) defensive end/linebacker Lanford Collins on an official visit over the weekend.

Collins, a 6-4, 240-pound senior, is one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the state of Virginia. Besides UVa, Collins is also considering scholarship offers from Boston College, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia, among others.

A very good athlete, Collins is being recruited by Virginia to play outside linebacker. Head coach Al Groh and company are no doubt hoping the Brooke Point standout could help take the place of another former Northern Virginia area standout outside linebacker in departing senior Clint Sintim. Like Collins, Sintim played defensive end on the high school level.

Stay tuned, as TheSabre.com hopes to reach Collins for more on his visit to UVa.

Virginia received some welcomed good news last Friday morning, when 6-4, 260-pound Will Hill announced his pledge to the Cavaliers. Hill chose UVa over Penn State and Tennessee, among others.

A two-time all-state performer, Hill turned in an excellent senior season despite being the focus of opposing teams. He finished the 2008 season with 92 tackles, including 24 tackles-for-loss to improve on his junior season statistics. Hill becomes the fourth defensive end prospect to commit to Virginia's 2009 class, joining Penn Charter (Philadelphia, PA) standout Justin Renfrow, Deep Run (Glen Allen, VA) star Jake Snyder, and Canadian standout Brent Urban.

Hill will take his production to UVa early, as he plans to enroll next month and will subsequently participate in spring practice. A very good student, Hill as already been approved by Virginia Admissions to enroll in January, something that was an important factor in his college choice.

For more on Hill, check out TheSabre.com's article last Friday. Stay tuned for more on one other Virginia defensive end commit, Brent Urban, who discusses his senior season and also looks ahead to his future at Virginia.

Last week, TheSabre.com caught up with St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) defensive end Pat Muldoon for comments on his November official visit to the University of Virginia. This week, we'll check in with his teammate, linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Kuechly made an official visit to UVa on the same weekend - the weekend of the Clemson game - as Muldoon. He has now taken three official visits in total, and he has one more planned in January before he will make his college choice. Kuechly visited Duke this past weekend, has been to Boston College and Virginia and has Stanford scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 9.

Countdown to Signing Day

CTSD was pushed back to this week, so stay tuned for the latest overview of Virginia's 2009 football recruiting class. We'll take a look at the class as a whole, analyze how Virginia has done in fulfilling its needs and take a look at the remaining targets.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Lafayette's Hill Picks Virginia
Eight hats - representing Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and UVa - were placed on the table where Lafayette (Williamsburg, VA) defensive end Will Hill sat to announce his college choice. The 6-4, 260-pound prospect stacked five of those hats on top of one another, leaving just Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia. A few moments later, Hill picked up the UVa hat, saying, "It's time to put UVa on the map."

Moses Prepares for Recruiting Stretch Run
His senior season completed, Meadowbrook (Richmond, VA) offensive tackle Morgan Moses will now look to the off-season, which includes of course figuring out which school he will sign a letter of intent with in February. The 6-7, 340-pound senior will likely use this month to figure out which official visits he will take. Most, if not all, of those visits will take place in January.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Watkins Reschedules UVa Official
• Williams Moving Towards Decision
• UVa Evaluating Hargrave OL
• Muldoon Talks UVa Visit, Recruitment

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Post of the Week

Subject: We owe Mike Groh some thanks and appreciation as he departs Posted by: LeadingEdge on Mon Dec 8 2008 9:00:01 AM Message: Let's remember that he QB'd some great U.Va. football teams and lead us to perhaps the most important victory in U.Va. football history - '95 over FSU. He's spend many long hours working to improve U.Va. football, both as a player and a coach. We lose track of the long hours college football requires. He is an alumnus.

Now, due to the brutal, bottom-line orientation of major college football, we have forced him out, and forced his own father to send him on.

Now that it is done, I hope we can find the empathy and kindness to wish him the best in his coaching career and to recognize him as a great contributor to Virginia football. Thus:

Mike, best wishes for growth and success in your football career as you experience a new coaching setting. I hope you land in a good job and that you benefit from seeing other coaching approaches. Despite the tough outcome, you remain part of the Virginia football family and honored by the fans of the program. Good luck!

Christensen Sets Another Conference Record

Official Release
Virginia Athletic Media Relations

Mei Christensen set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for the second consecutive day as the Virginia men's and women's swimming teams concluded the UVa Invitational Saturday at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. The Cavaliers set two ACC records, four school records, and 11 pool records during the three-day meet.

"That was probably the best mid-season meet that we have had in at least a decade, maybe longer," Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. "Did it meet our expectations? Yes. Most importantly, the athletes fulfilled what they had hoped to do at this juncture in the season. I can't recall that we have had the level of speed that we are exhibiting right now. A lot of the credit goes to our strength coach, Alissa Goldman. She is doing a great job helping our athletes get stronger, and speed is power. This was a great three days of swimming for us."

Christensen supplemented her 100 back record set Friday with a win in the 200 back, touching at 1:54.71 for an NCAA B time. The previous conference record was set in 2008 by Clemson's Michelle Parkhurst (1:55.33) and the previous school record was held by former Cavalier Brielle White (1:55.67). Christensen broke the Aquatic and Fitness Center pool record (1:56.42) she set earlier in 2008.

"She is just having a special season but I don't want her to be comfortable," Bernardino said. "I don't want her teammates to be comfortable. I want them to continue to push each other to higher levels. I want her to dream of higher levels of excellence."

The women additionally ended the night with a school record in the 400 free relay. The squad of Kristen Moores, Kristen Wallace, Christensen and Megan Evo also set a pool record in the event, finishing in 3:18.61.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Krzysik Named First Team NSCAA All-American: Virginia senior defender Nikki Krzysik was named a first team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. It is the second consecutive season Krzysik has been a first team selection, making her just the third player in school history to twice be a first team All-American. "To be named a first team All-American for a second year in a row is a fitting tribute to Nikki at the end of her college soccer career at Virginia," said coach Steve Swanson. "She has led our team this season both on and off the field and will ultimately go down as one of the best in the history or our program."
• Wigger Gains LPGA Tour Card in Q-School Playoff: Former Virginia golfer Leah Wigger earned her playing card for the 2009 LPGA Tour today by claiming the final spot in a sudden-death playoff at Q-School. Only the top 20 finishers from the field of 140 competitors at the LPGA's Final Qualifying Tournament attain Tour status. Q-School included 90 holes of competition over five days at the LPGA International Champions Course in Daytona Beach, Fla. On the second playoff hole, Wigger made a 10-foot birdie putt to defeat Allison Hanna-Williams of Oregon and Nari Kim of South Korea for the final spot. Wigger had rounds of 70, 75, 66, 72 and 73 to finish at 4-uder 356.
• Packer Named to Wallace Award Watch List: Virginia left-handed pitcher Matt Packer has been named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List. The award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
• Charlie Manuel to Speak at 2009 Step Up to the Plate: The Virginia baseball program will hold the seventh annual Step Up to the Plate benefit Saturday, Jan. 31, from 6-9 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium. The featured speaker will be Charlie Manuel, manager of the 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. It marks the second straight year Virginia has welcomed the manager of Major League Baseball's reigning championship team, as Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke to a sold-out crowd at the 2008 Step Up to the Plate. Tickets for Step Up To The Plate can be ordered in person at the UVa Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall, by phone at 1-800-542-UVA1, or online at VirginiaSports.com. Tables may be reserved by calling 800-626-8723. Proceeds from the event will go to the Virginia Baseball program.
• No. 19 Virginia Defeats East Carolina, 80-67: No. 19 Virginia used a balanced scoring attack to get past East Carolina, 80-67, Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena. Monica Wright led the Cavaliers with 23 points and hauled down a career-high 13 rebounds. Wright scored at least 20 points for the sixth time this season, and has now reached the 20-point plateau in four-straight games. The ACC's leading scorer, she tallied her second double-double of the year (seventh of her career). Aisha Mohammed just missed her fifth double-double of the year with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Ariana Moorer tied a career-high with 19 points and added five rebounds.
• Smith Ties School Record in 60m Hurdles: The Virginia Cavaliers opened the 2009 indoor track and field season Thursday evening at the Liberty Kickoff Invitational at the Tolsma Indoor Track. Junior Ayla Smith tied the school record in the 60m hurdles.
• Myers Announces Recruiting Class: Virginia women's lacrosse coach Julie Myers announced the signing of eight student-athletes to national letters of intent to play for the Cavaliers beginning with the 2009-10 academic year. Joining the Virginia program will be Kelly Austin, Claire Banta, Megan Dunleavy, Erin Laschinger, Kim Kolarik, Annie Thomas, Caroline McTiernan, and Charlotte (Charlie) Finnigan.
• Asque Named to ACC All-Freshman Team: Simone Asque has been honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference as one of the top six freshman in the league and was named to the 2008 ACC All-Freshman Volleyball Team. The honor marks the ninth-straight year that Virginia has placed a rookie on the league's freshman team. Asque, the 15th Cavalier of all-time to be honored on the rookie team, ranked third on the team in kills this season, with 203.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

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UVA Bookstores certainly appreciates our relationship with The Sabre and everyone who visits the site. It is our goal and our pleasure to be your source for UVA gifts and gear. In order to help you give your favorite UVA fan something special this year without breaking the bank, we're having a special sale for you. Go to www.uvabookstores.com/holiday to save 25% on select merchandise. Don't worry about special codes as the discounts have already been applied for you. We hope that you take advantage of some of these special offers and again, thank you for your continued support. - Patrick Perkins and the UVA Bookstores Staff

Issue No. 231 - March 3, 2006

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site soon:

• Basketball Articles: The Sabre keeps the basketball stories rolling with more coverage of the Cavaliers.
• Jed Williams: Columnist Jed Williams is working on his next article for the site.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

JHoo: 10 Things I Learned ... Virginia Tech
Going into the game against Virginia Tech, I found the dynamic surrounding the game to be troubling. Looking objectively at the match-ups on the field, I think it was fair to say that UVa had as good a chance of winning this game as it has in any game against Tech since the 2004 season. And yet, it seemed to me that it was hard to find a Virginia fan that was confident in Virginia's chances. I think that - and the loss on the field - says a lot about where the UVa football program is at today. But before we get to that, first we have to breakdown what went right and wrong in the game itself.

Greg's Stock Report '08: Virginia Tech
It's become a constant refrain in recent weeks; the Virginia defense played well enough to win but the offense could not execute when it counted to deliver a victory. After a 2007 season where Virginia made the key plays to win the close games, setting a record for the most wins in NCAA history by two points or fewer, the tables turned on the Cavaliers this fall, losing two of their final four games by a touchdown or less including one in overtime. The most recent loss, concluded with a game-tying field goal attempt in Virginia's sight. A field goal Virginia never attempted.

Jed Williams: Hall At QB Reveals Bigger Picture
At approximately 12:05 EST on Saturday, November 29, 2008, in Blacksburg, VA, Vic Hall started at quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers. Hall should have played quarterback, at least in a change-of-pace role, from day one. Or at minimum, the offense should have been sculpted to get him the rock in some creative fashion. Neither occurred, explaining mine and so many others' boil-over moment when the unthinkable actually happened on Saturday. When it did, it shined a bright light on the many mistakes made during Al Groh's administration, errors of judgment and management that have reduced Cavalier football to middling status in a pedestrian league.

Gophers Give Hoos Third Straight Loss
For the second straight road game against an undefeated opponent, the Virginia men's basketball team took an early lead only to watch it evaporate quickly due to poor offensive possessions and defensive lapses. As a result, the Cavaliers had to play catch-up for the final 30 minutes at Minnesota on Tuesday night and they never got over the hump. After taking control, the Golden Gophers held the Hoos at bay at every turn to pull out a 66-56 win in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Photo Galleries: Radford, South Florida
As you wait for the Hoos' Big 10-ACC Challenge road showdown with Minnesota on Tuesday night, The Sabre is giving you an up-close look at the 2008-09 Virginia men's basketball team with a pair of photo galleries. Check out the action in the John Paul Jones Arena from the Cavaliers' 77-75 win against South Florida and a 68-66 victory over Radford.

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