PROVO, Utah -- The University of Virginia announced Friday that BYU football head coach Bronco Mendenhall will be the new head coach at UVA, and they stated they had reached a 5-year deal with compensation beginning at $3.25 million annually.
The tweet came from Virginia Football's verified twitter account. In a statement, BYU said they will begin "a national search for the next BYU head football coach immediately."
According to a press release on the University of Virginia's official sports website, the announcement came from UVA Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage. The release states Mendenhall and UVA have come to a five-year agreement, and Mendenhall will have annual pay starting at $3.25 million.
"BYU has played the pivotal role in my professional and personal life and I will be forever indebted to the outstanding young men and exceptional people I have had the opportunity to work with at BYU," Mendenhall stated in the press release. "My success at BYU was possible because these great people chose the phenomenal, unique and faith-based experience available at BYU."
Mendenhall also tweeted his gratitude to BYU players and fans.
Mendenhall has been with BYU for the last 11 seasons, and at 99 he is one win shy of 100 victories with the Cougars, a benchmark he could reach in the upcoming Las Vegas Bowl, a game he will coach the team for according to BYU. His record with BYU is 99-42.
Tom Holmoe, BYU Director of Athletics, issued a statement regarding the move.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with Bronco as our head football coach. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of our student-athletes to give them the best possible collegiate experience, on and off the field. Bronco has been loyal through and through to BYU. I’m grateful for everything he’s done for the football program. He has a strong desire to complete this season and will coach our team at the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. We wish Bronco, Holly and their family the very best as they move on to this new opportunity."
Littlepage cited Mendenhall's success at BYU, saying he is excited for a "new era of Virginia football" with Mendenhall.
"Bronco Mendenhall's teams have consistently won at a high level and he's demonstrated the ability to create a strategic vision to build a program and then implement his plan to be successful," Littlepage stated in the press release. "His emphasis on the overall development of student athletes and a commitment to academic achievement is in line with our goals of Uncompromised Excellence. We're excited to begin a new era of Virginia football and support Bronco and his staff."
Former UVA Head Coach Mike London took to Twitter shortly after the announcement, expressing his gratitude for the relationships he's enjoyed as coach. London resigned on November 29 of this year.
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