Home Backhanded compliment: UVA coach Mike London ‘happy’ for former QB Greyson Lambert
Football

Backhanded compliment: UVA coach Mike London ‘happy’ for former QB Greyson Lambert

Chris Graham

Mike-LondonUVA football coach Mike London said Wednesday that he is “happy” for former Virginia starting quarterback Greyson Lambert, who set an NCAA QB record last week in a win for sixth-ranked Georgia, though you could tell that he wasn’t all that happy by the way he said it.

“I’m happy for him. I’m happy that Greyson is at a place where he feels he can make a contribution and do the things he needs to do. I’m happy for our guys. I’m happy for the guys that stayed here to be here at Virginia,” said London, answering a question from a reporter on his ACC media teleconference.

Lambert wasn’t good enough to be the starting quarterback for 1-2 UVA, but he is good enough to be the starter for Georgia, and to set a single-game NCAA record for completion percentage, going 24-for-25 passing for 330 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-20 win over South Carolina.

This is the same Lambert who lost his starting job at Virginia last spring in a battle with Matt Johns. London famously said after announcing his decision on a starter that the decision to go with Johns “wasn’t even close.”

Lambert transferred out after getting his degree at UVA in May, and landed at Georgia, where he won a three-way battle to be the starting quarterback in August.

Through three games, Lambert, a redshirt junior, is 43-for-58 passing (73.1 percent) for 587 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 187.6 passer rating.

Johns, also a redshirt junior, through three games at Virginia is 64-for-96 passing (66.7 percent) for 790 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions and a 150.2 passer rating.

“You always wish players well that leave your program, for the various reasons they may have,” London said. “The things I can control, we can control, are the players that stay here, want to be here, become great student-athletes here. That’s what the focus has been, on our game, and getting ready for the Boise State coming up.”

– Story by Chris Graham

Support AFP

Multimedia

 

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].