Virginia Coaching Job Candidates if Mike London is Fired: The Cavs Nearly Had Mark Richt in 2000

As legend has it, after George Welsh retired as coach of the Virginia Cavaliers in December of 2000, then-athletic director Terry Holland offered the job Mark Richt at some point during Christmas week.

At the time, Richt was the offensive coordinator at Florida State. Supposedly, Richt’s agent, after getting the offer from Virginia, put in a call to the powers that be at Clemson and told them something along the lines of, ‘just so you know, Richt has an offer from Virginia and he’s making a decision very, very soon.’

The Daily Progress story on the alleged offer to Richt came out on Christmas Day; on December 26, 2000, Georgia announced Mark Richt was its new football coach.

Virginia narrowly missed on Mark Richt once. Is there a chance they could have a shot at him again this December? It’s no secret that Mike London, the current Cavaliers coach, is on his way out. There’s been no improvement – regression, actually – since 2011’s 8-5 season, and the Cavaliers are a laughingstock in the ACC.

Richt, of course, is the head coach at Georgia, where he may or may not survive the season. “Power brokers” allegedly are trying to force him out but the schedule is soft and assuming the Bulldogs win out, Richt probably isn’t going anywhere. What if the Bulldogs slip up Kentucky, Auburn or Georgia Tech?

As one insider put it this week, “You win nine games at Virginia, they might build you a statue. Win nine games at Georgia and you might get whacked.”

Virginia is a good ACC job. It doesn’t have the fanbase or atmosphere around the program like Virginia Tech, and it doesn’t have the proximity to some of the best high school talent in the country like Miami. Of the 14 teams in the ACC, Virginia fits in the Top 7 with UNC and NC State.

Richt is a best-case scenario for the Cavaliers. More realistic? Jim Grobe, most recently of Wake Forest. Things didn’t end well for Grobe in Winston Salem, and he quit before they could fire him in 2013. His last five seasons were forgetable, but remember for a minute what he did accomplish in 2006: Winning the ACC, a school-record 11 wins, and a BCS trip.

Grobe graduated from Virginia. He turns 64 in February, and on paper isn’t as inspiring a choice as some of the hotshot up-and-coming mid-majors coaches. What’s going to hurt Virginia is the large number of college football openings that are out there, especially east of the Mississippi.

Before the season, many assumed Miami and Maryland might come open; but for Virginia Tech and South Carolina to add to that list, plus Big Ten schools like Illinois and Minnesota (and maybe Purdue?) … the Cavaliers are going to have some strong competition.

OTHER POTENTIAL NAMES:

Tom Herman, Houston: Doing so well with the Cougars so quickly, that he’ll get plenty of looks. The former Ohio State offensive coordinator might actually be out of UVA’s range if the Cougars run the table.

Matt Rhule, Temple: Is he maybe in line to get the Penn State job (from State College, played there) in a year or two if James Franklin keeps stumbling? The Owls have been a terrific story the last two years (including 7-1 this season), and nearly beat Notre Dame last week.

Kendal Briles, Baylor OC: This has less than .01% chance of happening, as Briles is a Big 12 guy and only 32 years old, but if the Cavaliers are looking to suddenly play an exciting brand of football with an outside-the-box hire … Briles would be a tremendous choice. Would love to see Baylor Ball played in the ACC.

Everett Withers, JMU: Only 90 miles away, Withers is having a lot of success with the Dukes so far, but if Virginia does some digging, Withers will probably be eliminated for having some behind-the-scenes baggage (that’s besides UNC). London also came from the I-AA (Richmond) and it’s tough to see UVA going that route so quickly again.