Virginia announces coach Mike London will return next season
Mike London will be Virginia's coach heading into next season, director of athletics Craig Littlepage announced Wednesday.
The Cavaliers have posted a 23-37 record over nearly five seasons under London, who replaced Al Groh after serving as Richmond's head coach for two seasons.
After going 8-4 and making an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in 2011, Virginia won four and two games, respectively, over the next two seasons.
Heading into Friday's game at rival Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers are 6-5 with a 3-4 ACC record, good for fourth place in the conference's Coastal Division. Virginia had lost four consecutive games prior to Saturday's 30-13 win over Miami.
A panel of media tabbed the Cavaliers to finish last in the Coastal in a preseason poll. London was also included on SI.com's list of coaches on the hot seat.
In a statement, Littlepage said he has seen signs of progress from the football program.
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"It was important to see improvement in our football program this season," Littlepage said. "I've seen signs of progress in many areas. Through the staff changes made over the last two years, we are better at teaching the game and in the overall development of the student-athletes. We also continue to notice the commitment by this group of coaches and student-athletes to their academic and community responsibilities.
"The staff has re-focused its recruiting efforts to emphasize the need to attract student-athletes capable of helping the program compete at a high level in the expanded Atlantic Coast Conference," Littlepage added. "We are seeing many of these student-athletes on the field right now and the staff continues to have success on the recruiting trail. We will continue to support the program in their efforts to maximize their recruiting success.
"It's important for each of our sports programs to continue to show progress and follow a plan to compete for conference championships and in postseason competition to support the department's goals," Littlepage said. "I trust the plan Mike has in place and believe his leadership provides the best opportunity for Virginia football to be successful in the future."
- Chris Johnson
