Mike London will return to Virginia as head coach next season, the school announced on Wednesday.
London, currently in his fifth season with the program, has a 23-37 overall record. "It was important to see improvement in our football program this season," athletic director Craig 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.”
London’s team has reached a bowl game just one time during his tenure – a 2011 loss in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. His 5-6 Cavaliers can clinch bowl eligibility with a win over Virginia Tech on Friday night.
"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 said. "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.”
The Cavs are coming off an upset 30-13 win over Miami at home over the weekend, snapping a four-game losing streak. Littlepage said he trusts London’s plans for the program moving forward.
"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."
This year’s five-win effort is a drastic improvement from the team that won a combined six games in the previous two seasons combined.
London served as Virginia’s defensive line coach from 2001-2004, then after a stint with the Houston Texans, returned as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007.
He was then hired as head coach at the University of Richmond and led the Spiders to a 24-5 record and a National Championship in two seasons with the program.
After his success at Richmond, Virginia hired London as head coach in December 2009.
For more Virginia news, visit CavsCorner.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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