Coach Mike London was his usual, animated self at 6 a.m. practice.

Friday morning marked the final 6 a.m. practice of the spring for coach Mike London and the Virginia football team. It’s been a long few weeks of early wake-up calls and bitter cold morning sessions, but all those extra cups of coffee and extra layers of clothing are paying off in more ways than one.

“The first couple were kind of tough, but what happens is right now the sun is shining, they go in there, shower up, go straight to class, eat breakfast. They’ll come back maybe for a mid-day meeting and the rest of the day is theirs,” London said. “I think on the long end of it they look at it as more obligation and time for their academic endeavors. The other thing I like about it – going to bed at nine, 10 o’clock is a good thing because nothing good happens after that. That seems to have cut down on quite a few things.”

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