Former Virginia head coach Mike London was a huge addition to D.J. Durkin’s staff when he arrived in College Park.
One year later, London is set to leave to become the next head coach at nearby Howard at the FCS level. While it’s great for London, it’s a less than ideal scenario for the Terrapins.
London served as the associate head coach and defensive line coach this past year. While the defensive line had some success, that’s a coaching vacancy that can be filled.
Where Maryland could feel the blow is on the recruiting trail.
With less than a month until National Signing Day, the current staff is going to have to scramble and convince players that were recruited by London to stay committed.
Offensive lineman Tyran Hunt (Southampton, Va.), defensive end B’Ahmad Miller (St. Frances Academy, Md.), and athlete Dazz Newsome (Hampton, Va.) committed to the Terps during London’s time with the program.
Due to his time with Richmond and most recently Virginia, London has established relationships in the DMV. Most importantly, the very fertile Hampton Roads region of Virginia was one where London saw a ton of success and has also produced a considerable amount of NFL talent.
Those ties may not be gone completely, but Durkin and his staff will have to tap back into that region to show they’re serious.
It was definitely expected that London would be a sought-after coaching candidate due to his prior experience. However, stepping down to the FCS level comes as a bit of a surprise.
He has coached at the FCS level before as he spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons at Richmond. He accumulated a 24-5 overall record during that time and led the Spiders to an FCS national championship in 2008.
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This definitely isn’t the best timing with the biggest day on the recruiting calendar coming up. However, it doesn’t hurt that the Terps have one of the best recruiters around in Durkin to keep the transition smooth.