London debuts his new team

The waiting is over for Mike London. He’ll take the field and run the Virginia football players through their first practice of the spring this afternoon.

The 3:50 p.m. practice, which will take place at the practice fields in the school’s athletic complex near the McCue Center, is open to the public. That is the case for the first six practices of the season, which will be followed by a scrimmage March 27 at Old Dominion University. The school’s spring game is April 10 at Scott Stadium.

Today’s practice will be conducted without pads or hitting — those things will be eased into as the spring progresses.

Entering the month of practices, here are some storylines:

London’s disciplinary ways: In his first months, London said he already has dismissed players for academic reasons. He hasn’t named names, so it’s likely that today’s attendance on the practice field will give the first glimpse of the identities of the offending players.

“There are two individuals that have not met the academic expectations of them, so they’re not here with us,” he said. “There are some guys on the roster that, based on my expectations of them as a student-athlete, in the community, what they do, that’s going to be contingent on whether they return next year.”

Meanwhile Keith Payne, a running back who did not participate with the team last year, will rejoin this year — pending academic success in the spring.

Looking for a quarterback: London has been working on building senior Marc Verica’s confidence entering the fall campaign — he’s the only signal-caller with college football experience.

Behind him are a handful of young players looking to establish themselves on the depth chart.

Position switches: A handful of players have switched positions. Most notably, Terence Fells-Danzer has moved from linebacker to fullback.

“We want to have a fullback in our offense — get back to having fullbacks,” London said. “And because of the numbers, or the lack of numbers, Terence was encouraged to make the position switch.”

Along those lines, the switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense has created an extra defensive line position while eliminating one for linebackers.

Consolidating kickers: Last year, Robert Randolph kicked field goals while Drew Jarrett handled extra points. London said he’d like to just carry one all-purpose kicker, with possibly a kickoff specialist, so the competition at this position should be strong.

Heading to Norfolk: The Cavs’ scrimmage at ODU (not a scrimmage against the Monarchs, though — that’s against NCAA rules) will work out well for both parties.

The fledgling program will get to raise its profile by hosting high school coaches as part of the weekend’s festivities, and U.Va. also wins by showing in a tangible way that it’s serious about recruiting the Tidewater area and building visibility in the area.