London To Be Introduced As Football Coach

After Virginia departed ways with Al Groh last week, some names quickly emerged as potential candidates for the opening. But one name stood out as the frontrunner, according to multiple sources. Mike London. He's no longer the frontrunner. He's the selection. The former Cavalier defensive coordinator will be named the head coach today at a 1 p.m. press conference. Not open to the public, the press conference will be webcast live on VirginiaSports.com starting at 1 p.m. The webcast is free.

UVa requested permission to speak to London on Sunday, just one day after his Richmond football team fell in heartbreaking fashion to Appalachian State in the FCS playoffs. The Mountaineers edged the Spiders on Saturday night, 35-31. London compiled a 24-5 record in two seasons at UR. The Spiders won the 2008 National Championship.

Stay tuned to TheSabre.com for full coverage of the announcement and the beginning of the Mike London era at Virginia!

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

RB Kevin Parks Jr., WR E.J. Scott, OL Conner Davis, LB Ryan Cobb and CB Rijo Walker have indicated that they are firm commitments no matter who the next coach will be. DB Pablo Alvarez pretty much falls into this group as well, though the Miami (FL) standout would like to speak with the new head coach.

Fork Union head coach John Shuman said prior to Al Groh's dismissal that OL Cody Wallace would re-sign with the Cavaliers, and DB Kyrrel Latimer is reportedly solid as well. Attempts to reach RB Khalek Shepherd have been unsuccessful so far, though I suspect he is solid in his decision.

OLB/DE Chris Brathwaite and LB Henry Coley have stated that they are solid as well, though both prospects want to talk to the new head coach to be 100 percent certain. Brathwaite is scheduled to take an official visit to Delaware this coming weekend and also plans to visit JMU in January.

OL Morgan Moses, Virginia's top recruit in the 2009 class, made an official visit to South Carolina this past weekend. The 6-7, 340-pound standout, a U.S. Army All-American selection out of Meadowbrook (Richmond, VA), is also considering several other schools including Virginia. Moses, who is currently attending Fork Union Military Academy, is still working towards qualifying academically according to John Shuman.

So, the news from the 2010 recruiting class is positive overall, but like everyone else the recruits await the announcement of Virginia's new coach ... an announcement that is coming this afternoon. TheSabre.com will be sure to follow up with the commits for reaction and follow up on targets old and new.

Two of Virginia's commits are still playing. Pablo Alvarez and Belen Jesuit captured a region championship and move on to a state semifinal match-up later this week. Kevin Parks Jr. ran wild once again, helping West Rowan (Mount Ulla, N.C.) to a Class 3-A state semifinal win over Tuscola. The defending state champs will look for a repeat this weekend.

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 ...

Parks, Scott, Walker Staying Solid
Three of Virginia's most highly rated 2010 class recruits intend to stick with their commitments. West Rowan (Mount Ulla, N.C.) running back Kevin Parks Jr., Good Counsel (Olney, MD) wide receiver E.J. Scott and Bethel (Hampton, VA) defensive back Rijo Walker say they will sign with the Cavaliers in February.

Davis, Brathwaite React to Groh's Departure
Since learning of Al Groh's dismissal, Deep Run (Glen Allen, VA) offensive lineman Conner Davis has said he intends to follow through on his commitment and sign with Virginia in February. The 6-5, 270-pound senior, who committed to the Cavaliers in early July, is one of Virginia's top recruits in the 2010 class.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• More Reaction from UVa's 2010 Class
• In-State Juniors Adding Offers

UVA Bookstores, a long-time Sabre sponsor and Cavalier gear partner, is treating you to a special holiday gift! Through Dec. 15, receive FREE ground shipping on your order! That's right, no matter what you buy, there's free ground shipping to your door with the code 'wahoowa' - so make sure to do some holiday shopping for the Hoo in your life at UVA Bookstores!

Every week, theSabre.com features a Fan of the Week photo on the front page of the Web site. (Archives are available in the Wahoowa! section.) So you want to be the fan of the week? It's easy - be the loudest Hoo at a live UVa event, wear some crazy Cavalier gear, or do something else to catch our attention. If Mike or Kris spot you and take your picture, you'll be in the running for Fan of the Week honors!

Collins Honored

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Virginia defensive tackle Nate Collins was selected by the Touchdown Club of Richmond as its Defensive Lineman of the Year, becoming the first Cavalier to earn the honor since Chris Long in 2007. He will be recognized at the Dudley Award Banquet on Tuesday, inside the Greater Richmond Convention Center, starting at 7 p.m.

An All-ACC first team selection, Collins emerged on the scene during his senior campaign by earning ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors following stellar career outings against then No. 11 Georgia Tech and at Maryland. The Port Chester, N.Y., native finished the season ranked No. 5 in the ACC with 6.0 sacks. A part-time starter a season ago, Collins started all 12 games a set a career high with 16 tackles against then No. 11 Georgia Tech. Collins also snared his first career interception and returned it 32 yards for the go-ahead touchdown at Maryland. On the season Collins finished second on the team with 77 tackles.

The Touchdown Club will honor Richmond's Eric Ward as its Offensive Back of the Year and the Spiders' Matt McCracken as the Offensive Lineman of the Year. Virginia Tech's Kam Chancellor snared Defensive Back of the Year accolades. The quartet, including Collins will be on hand Tuesday at the event sponsored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch & Touchdown Club of Richmond. To order tickets for the event, contact Mike O'Toole at 804-658-8503.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 14 Virginia Edged By James Madison, 75-73: James Madison guard Dawn Evans matched a career-high with 38 points to key an upset of the 14th-ranked Virginia women's basketball team, 75-73. Monica Wright led the Cavaliers with 31 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Virginia's record went to 6-2 with the loss, while JMU remained undefeated and improved its record to 6-0.
• Swimmers Finish Strong at UVa Invitational: Freshman Lauren Perdue set the Aquatic and Fitness Center pool record in the 100 free Saturday as the Cavalier swimming teams concluded the UVa Invitational. Perdue won the 100 free, finishing with a time of 49.13. Then, in the final event of the night, she led off the 400 free relay with a split of 49.08 from the individual event.
• Virginia Wrestling Reels In Another Premier Recruiting Class: The Virginia wrestling team has signed nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for 2010-11. The incoming class consists of Billy Coggins, Tanner Hirstine, Conner Miller, Tanner Moon, Derek Papagianopoulos, Gus Sako, Joe Spisak, Nick Sulzer, Bryan Whitt. This group already has garnered national attention and is ranked No. 21 in InterMat's Early Period Recruiting Class Rankings, which were announced Tuesday. Each of coach Steve Garland's four recruiting classes have ranked among the nation's top 25.
• Virginia Rowing Announces Recruiting Class: Virginia announced the signing of Carli Goldberg, Brandy Herald, Sarah Jordan, Allison Mayberry, Kaity McCullough, Elisabeth (Elle) Murray, Emily Pik, Paige Terry, Dana Walsh and Brittany Wengel to National Letters of Intent to row for the Cavaliers beginning in 2010.
• Asque Named to All-ACC Volleyball Team: Sophomore Simone Asque was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Team. The Chicago, Ill., native led the Cavaliers with 416 kills this season and ranked third in the ACC, averaging 3.65 kills per set.
• Farrelly Named a Hermann Trophy Semifinalist: Virginia junior midfielder Sinead Farrelly was one of 15 players named semifinalists for the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy. The award, annually given to the top collegiate soccer player in the country, will be awarded on Jan. 8. Farrelly is a semifinalist for the first time in her career. This season she started all 22 games for the Cavaliers and led the team in scoring with eight goals and eight assists for 24 points. She was named a first-team All-ACC selection for the third consecutive season.

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

Uva Men's Soccer ACC Champions T-Shirt
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Congratulations to the 2009 Men's Soccer team for bringing home an ACC Championship. Commemorate their stellar play with the 2009 ACC Men's Soccer Champions T-Shirt. The front has a left chest imprint and the back features the same graphic. A soccer ball is printed above a crest with 2009 ACC Men's Soccer screened in white above a large orange imprint of Champions, Virginia Cavaliers and the V-Sabre logo.

Issue No. 325 - January 21, 2008

London Takes Richmond Job

Last week, SabreMail told you that Mike London was interviewing with the University of Richmond about its head football coaching vacancy. Less than one week later, London accepted the position - which he interviewed for in 2004 but was not hired - at his alma mater. He was officially introduced at a news conference on Saturday.

"I'm excited about the opportunity that has been presented to me," London told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I've walked the grounds here. I've been on the football field and the practice field. I know what it takes to be a student-athlete at this school. Things didn't work out the first time, but I firmly believe that things happen for a purpose. I needed more training, and now I've come back and I'm ready."

London's depature marks the fourth time during Al Groh's tenure at UVa that an assistant has been hired by another school to be its head coach. Al Golden (Temple), Danny Rocco (Liberty), and Ron Prince (Kansas State) are still head coaches at those schools today.

Of course, this also means that Groh will have to find a replacement yet again. The key for him will be to not only find a capable coach, but a capable recruiter. London was one of the top assistants on the UVa staff on the recruiting trail; high school coaches and players routinely praise London for his genuine interest in recruits.

Stay tuned.

Check Out SabreMail #325.

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:

• JHoo's Latest: JHoo takes a season-long look at things he learned from the football program.
• Virginia Football: The Sabre covers the announcement of UVa's new coach.
• Men's Soccer: The Hoos continue their play in the NCAA Tournament.
• Dudley: Greg Waters provides a feature on Wahoo great Bill Dudley.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Cavaliers Advance To College Cup
Without a doubt, Virginia deserved to win its NCAA Tournament quarterfinal match against Maryland on Friday night, both statistically and qualitatively. The Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead and owned the second half as part of a convincing 3-0 win against Maryland under the lights of a packed Klockner Stadium. With the win, UVa moves on to the College Cup for a shot at the NCAA Championship.

ChalkTalk: A Recurring Set
Through the first seven games of Tony Bennett's inaugural season on the Virginia sidelines, the Cavaliers have averaged 69.0 points per game while shooting 46.0% from the floor and 40.2% from 3-point range. The issue, though, has been inconsistency, particularly in losses. While offense is on the brain, let's take a look at this edition of "ChalkTalk" where The Sabre looks at one offensive set being commonly used in games thus far by the Hoos.

Hobbo's Corner - The Road Ahead
November ended with a disappointing loss to Penn State. Frankly, I had hoped for 5-2 at month's end, but we're 4-3. My goal for this team in the pre-ACC schedule was/is 10-3. That's difficult now and would have to include a road victory at Auburn this coming Monday, Dec. 7. Regardless of what happens in Alabama on Monday, the five home games following the exam period become absolutely critical for this basketball team and season.

Greg's Stock Report '09: VT
The offense sputtered, the defense struggled and the special teams stuttered as the Cavaliers suffered their sixth consecutive loss and their 13th loss in their last 16 games. It looked promising for a while, but in the end it was the final loss of the Al Groh era. Let's look at the "Stock Report" for the final game of 2009.

Penn State Posts Win At UVa
Virginia fans watched the fast and the furious on Monday night at the John Paul Jones Arena. The latter belonged to the Hoos, who made a furious rally in the final three minutes before falling short of a comeback win. The fast part belonged to Talor Battle, who jetted his way around the court for 32 points as Penn State claimed a 69-66 victory in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Kris' Monday Musings - Big Stops
The 4-2 Virginia men's basketball team returns to the John Paul Jones Arena tonight for a game with Penn State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. While there are plenty of storylines to follow after the team's trip to Cancun - Will Sherrill anyone? - there is one theme I'm keeping an eye on in this one: "big stops." Read about that and more in Kris' Monday Musings.

JHoo's 10 Things I Learned From VT
42-13 ... that is how it ends. The season ... and the Al Groh era at Virginia. Over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of columns looking back at the Groh era and looking forward to the future. But before we get to that, we first will look back at this one last loss. Here are 10 Things I Learned From Virginia Tech.

Cavaliers Advance With Another Shutout
After taking the lead on Sunday, the Hoos fought with an incoming wind, sun in their faces, and a capable Portland attack to keep the Pilots scoreless in a third-round NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers moved onto the round of eight with a narrow 1-0 victory against Portland, earning a chance to advance to the College Cup with another victory.

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