www.roanoke.com

One of the most interesting interviews in which I’ve participated in recent weeks came on national letter-of-intent day, when Virginia offensive coordinator Bill Lazor met with the media.

I wonder if it was the last time we’ll talk with him.

I can’t say I was ahead of the curve on Lazor’s talks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, nor was I first with the information that Lazor was likely to return to the Cavaliers, a follow-up that may have been a little premature.

In my one text from the UVa men’s basketball game with Wake Forest, I said that the sense I was getting was that there was “legitimate concern” over the possibility of Lazor’s departure.

Some early afternoon calls and texts today would confirm that perception.

Lazor’s conversation on national letter-of-intent pertained to his view of the quarterback position at Virginia.

“I remember one of my early conversations with coach [Mike] London,” Lazor said. “We had several conversations; I think it was the one where he was going to bring me out to visit with him.

“I remember distinctly where I was sitting. I was in an airport somewhere and we were talking on the phone. I said, ‘Hey, in my mind, we should always have a great quarterback at Virginia.’

“I said, ‘It’s a great campus, it’s a great location, the weather’s great [with] high academics, playing in the ACC. We’re in the middle of the East Coast, so it’s easy to get there.’

“I went down a whole list of things in my mind [that] we should have. There are some other schools in the country that might fit the same profile and you can see that they have a great track record of quarterbacks. And, I said, ‘We should.’

“We need to continue to recruit that way. We have to have a high standard in recruiting. We need to understand that we run a pro-style offense and it’s going to be attractive to the kind of guys who dream of going out and attaining an NFL career.

“You’ve got guys on our staff who have been great quarterbacks in Marques Hagans and Shawn Moore. You’ve got Matt Schaub, when he’s healthy, who’s at the forefront of the NFL and on the SportsCenter highlights every week for them to look at.”

“Now, when we look at these young men, they have to be capable of being the face of the program. They’ve got to be the right kind of person and the right kind of leader. I came here with that idea. We want the ultimate guy and we’re going to recruit that way.

“In Greyson Lambert and Matt Johns, we’ve got [signees] who’ve got the ability to be that. Time will tell what anyone that’s recruited can turn into. There’s a record of guys being picked late – or not picked — in the NFL Draft and being great, and guys being picked early and stinking.

“Hopefully, we haven’t made any of those mistakes. I think you’re talking about the right kind of guys. They fit that profile, not just the physical profile, but an all-around profile of what we want at that position, to some day be the face of the program.”

Just listening to Lazor speak with such passion about his vision for the UVa quarterbacks, it’s hard to see him leaving for a lateral move. It would require an NFL coordinator’s job to get him to jump. He wouldn’t leave to be somebody’s quarterback coach.

I’m not sure he would leave, period, and I don’t think Virginia could keep him by breaking the bank. The issue is his long-term goal and if it’s to be an NFL head coach and not a college head coach, it would be hard for the Cavaliers to keep him.

One way or another, I’m hearing there will be resolution shortly.