Mike London out as Virginia football head coach

Mike London has resigned as the head coach of Virginia, the school announced Sunday. The Cavaliers lost 23-20 to Virginia Tech on Saturday, their 12th straight loss to the Hokies, moving them to 4-8 on the season. London’s contract was set to expire after the 2016 season, and Virginia will pay him approximately $2.7 million in buyout money.

London was hired at Virginia after spending two seasons as the head coach at FCS power Richmond. His Spiders won the FCS national title in 2008 and finished the 2009 season ranked fourth after a loss in the quarterfinals. After a 4-8 campaign in his first year with the Cavaliers, London led UVA to an 8-5 record and Chick-fil-A Bowl appearance in 2011, beating No. 12 Georgia Tech and 25th-ranked Florida State in Tallahasse for the first time in the process.

There has been little to cheer since that bowl game. London followed his breakout season with a just 15 combined wins over the next four seasons, and just eight in conference play. The Cavaliers finished in the bottom two of the ACC Coastal in each of them, but London’s strong local recruiting kept him around.

Virginia’s 2015 schedule, with non-conference games against UCLA, Notre Dame and Boise State in non-conference play and a surprisingly strong ACC Coastal to navigate, made London’s task nearly impossible. Home wins against Georgia Tech and Duke were small signs of hope, but were not nearly enough to save London one more time.