Virginia's coaching change needs to happen quickly

Here's what we know right now. Virginia has lost to Tech for the 12th straight year. For the third time in the last six, the Hoos have finished a season 4-8. In Mike London's six years, his teams have played in one bowl game. The question isn't if London is gone, but when.

But the other thing we know is that no one else is waiting around. Reports emerged and were confirmed during the game that Tech has closed the deal with Memphis head coach Justin Fuente (whose team was also playing when the news broke). More significantly, though, Fuente's staff will include long-time defensive coordinator Bud Foster and associate head coach/running backs coach Shane Beamer.

That means Virginia's in-state rival has already hired the top name in the coaching field, while maintaining their program's continuity with Foster and Beamer. If you think for even a moment that Bud and Li'l Beamer won't be out hammering the Commonwealth's recruits with the message that Tech's future is bright and Virginia's is murky—at best—then I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I think you ought to buy.

London has earned the right to be treated with respect and dignity. As an alum and a lifelong fan, I am glad that at least UVa's athletics administration hasn't treated the situation as ham-fistedly as the Les Miles debacle unfolding in Baton Rouge. But giving London his due does not extend so far as waiting and setting this program even farther back.