Dex, Brown Leave for UCONN

The new head coach at UCONN is former Virginia assistant coach Bob Diaco. To fill out his staff, he's hired two Virginia assistants, Anthony Poindexter and Vincent Brown. Both Dex and Brown worked with Diaco in Charlottesville, with Dex coaching the RBs from 2006-2008 and Brown working as a graduate assistant in 2007.

While both certainly had impacts on the team's performance over the years, probably their biggest contribution came in recruiting. Both guys, for whatever reason, are seen as good recruiters. Both are gung-ho and high energy, which probably helps. They are also both relatively young, which also probably helps. Thankfully, recruiting is the one thing that London seems to have under control. The loss of two of his top recruiters a month before signing day won't help, but it might not hurt much. Especially if London can get replacements into town quickly.

This has been Dex' only job as a coach, and it was time for him to move on. He's coached RBs, DBs, Ss, and special teams. Dex was a great player for the Hoos and has been a solid representative of the University, but it was time for him to move on. Similarly, Brown has never worked for a head coach other than Mike London (he was a graduate assistant under Groh), so he also needs to move on. Simply put, coaches need to see different systems and environments in order to to grow.

Dex will become the defensive coordinator in Storrs, while Brown will be the LB coach and co-defense coordinator. Those are both significant steps up from their current positions. While both were making nice salaries at Virginia, they are presumably getting raises. Working under Diaco can only be good for their development, as he worked as Defensive Coordinator at Notre Dame prior to his move to UCONN heading one of the top defenses in the country over the past few years.

Still, despite all the reasons for them to leave, this feels a little bit like rats leaving a sinking ship. There are very few people around who think Mike London is going to survive beyond 2014. His assistant coaches are unlikely to remain, so getting out now seems like a great plan.

The next few weeks could be interesting. Will more UVA assistants leave? Who will London hire to replace the departed? What kind of impact will this have on signing day?