In his second season at Charlottesville, Virginia football coach Mike London was named the ACC Coach of the Year while helping turn around a historically underachieving program.
Now, with his name likely to begin floating around the rumor rill, London has given indications that he wants to put down roots, pledging $225,000 towards a new indoor practice facility as well as $50,000 to the school's general scholarship fund.
London, a 51-year old native of Hampton Roads, played at Richmond College before beginning a coaching career spent almost entirely in the Virginia area.
He won the 2008 FCS championship at Richmond before taking over the Cavaliers in 2010. After a 4-8 transition year, he has the program pointed upwards with an 8-4 record and a berth in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, its first post-season game since 2007.
And while he may have opportunities at higher-profile programs, he could be extremely successful at Virginia, a dormant program in a basketball-crazy conference.
Frank Beamer turned Virginia Tech, a land-grant school forever in the shadow of a research institution founded by Thomas Jefferson, into a national power with recruits from the mid-Atlantic region.