On London: Quotes

Wednesday, December 09 2009 by Tim

I’ve been very impressed by the things that some people have been saying about Mike London since he was hired on Monday. It’s not necessarily specific things that people are saying about him, it’s just the level of enthusiasm that people seem to have about him. It’s almost as if the excitement level surrounding the program in the state instantly increased when it was announced that he was the head coach.

So I wanted to group together here some of the things that were said about him in various sources. This is just a taste of the quotes, as there are many more out there:

Virginia High School Coaches

  • Tommy Reamon (Landstown High School Head Coach, former Warwick High (think Michael Vick) and Ferguson (think Aaron Brooks) Head Coach):
    • “…absolutely phenomenal.”
    • “He’s one of the best. There’s nobody better. And, I think I’ve been around long enough to know. They got something special there.”
  • John Shuman (FUMA Head Coach – remember the debacle with the recruitment (or lack thereof) of his son?):
    • “… as soon as I heard about it last night, I was ecstatic.”
  • Bill McGregor (Dematha Head Coach):
    • “Mike has recruited our school forever. He’s a worker and the kids like him a lot. He’s a great guy. I’m just so happy he’s getting the job.”
  • Lou Sorrentino (Hylton Head Coach):
    • “I think the big thing for coaches around the state is that he’s a known quantity. I can’t speak for other guys, but I’m excited about it.”

Current Players

  • DE Matt Conrath:
    • “I can’t wait to really get to know Coach London and can’t wait to play for him.”
  • S Rodney McLeod:
    • “We just put it in their hands to make the right decision, and I think they did.” – on what the players told Littlepage and Oliver about hiring the next coach

Former Players

  • Charles McDaniel:
    • “I don’t think it was intentional on Coach Groh’s part. But we certainly felt a lot closer [to the UVa program] during Welsh’s era. And I can almost guarantee you, just knowing Mike and knowing his DNA and what’s made him successful, we’re going to be a bigger part of it now.”
  • Chris Slade:
    • “He’s going to be a guy that I think can really take the program to new heights. With his early success at Richmond and his upside in coaching, you knew he was going to be at a major university. I’m just glad and honored that we were able to get him back at UVa, where he already has a great reputation.”
    • “I think he’s going to bring that extra dimension and that energy to the program. He comes with instant credibility from his past. When he was defensive coordinator here, he did a great job. He won’t have to sell himself, because people know his pedigree, they know who he is, they know what he stands for, and that’s going to mean a lot, for players to believe in him right from the beginning.”
    • “I think he’s the guy to get in here and get the top players to come to Virginia right away. I’m a little biased, because I’m a Tidewater guy. But I think we’ve got a shot at getting the Tyrod Taylors and the guys who skip right past Charlottesville on their way to Blacksburg.”
  • Chris Long:
    • “I feel really excited. I feel like they couldn’t have turned it over to a better guy. I just feel like we’re going to get a fresh start here and Coach London is a guy that can recharge our battery.”
    • “Anybody on the inside’s going to be excited because they know Mike. I don’t really need to expand much on that, because what’s said has been said, and everything that’s been positively portrayed about Mike London is true.”
    • “Coach L – and this is going to serve him really well as a head coach – he has great communication skills. People are able to bounce things off him. He’s able to communicate back. He can communicate to [college] coaches and to players, and he can communicate to high school coaches, high school players.”
  • Aaron Brooks:
    • “It should really help out recruiting that area. A lot of guys in the 757 are nervous when it comes to college and the academic climate. It’s important to find ways to make them interested in coming to U.Va.” – on London’s ties to “the 7-5-7.”

Recruits

  • CB Rijo Walker (Bethel High School, which happens to be London’s alma mater):
    • “It made my day. He went to my high school and I can’t wait to play for him in college.”
  • RB Kevin Parks (West Rowan):
    • “I am really excited about the news.”
  • WR E.J. Scott (Good Counsel):
    • “I saw that the news was coming down from reports on Sunday and I was excited that it was close. Coach London recruited my school when he was at UVa before so my coach was already familiar with him. This is great news.”
  • DB Kyrrel Latimer (DeMatha):
    • I can’t tell you how excited I am. This is great. I know who Coach London is and I am excited about the future at Virginia.”
  • LB Ryan Cobb (Don Bosco Prep):
    • “I heard the news earlier in the day on Monday. I am very excited.”

Others

  • George Welsh:
    • “I think it’s an excellent hire. I think he knows the University and he knows the state.”
  • Howie Long:
    • “He will be able to recruit very strongly in the state. I’m of the belief that if you win the state of Virginia, you win on the football field. It’s pretty simple.”

 

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