Lax Mag: Dan Chemotti Takes the Richmond Job

Today was supposed to be dominated by hurricane headlines. Whoops.

Lacrosse Magazine screwed up the plan for page one today, breaking the story that Loyola's Dan Chemotti, Charley Toomey's offensive coordinator on Charles Street for the last five seasons, has accepted the head coaching position at Richmond University:

Multiple sources have indicated to Lacrosse Magazine that Loyola offensive coordinator Dan Chemotti has accepted the head coaching position at Richmond.

Chemotti will leave Loyola immediately to begin recruiting at Richmond, which will begin men's varsity play in spring of 2014.

Chemotti addressed the team this morning to tell them the news, according to sources.

Woah. Just . . . woah.

Chemotti's name has been thrown around for various openings over the years, being most recently associated with the Boston University job that was eventually filled by Ryan Polley. Chemotti ultimately turned down the opportunity to coach in The Hub to stay at Loyola. At Richmond, Chemotti will be tasked with building a program from the ground floor, although the Spiders do have some institutional advantages that other schools -- like, say, Boston University -- may not have.

This move should create a ripple effect across college lacrosse. With Chemotti's departure, Loyola is going to need to deal with the vacancy sign hanging over their offensive coordinator's office. The Greyhounds job should be attractive for candidates, what with all the talent kicking around Ridley Athletic Complex these days. If Charley Toomey looks externally for a coach, folks will surely knock on his door. As this is all happening late in the offseason, someone may be left in an untenable position, and that isn't a good thing for those downstream.

For Richmond, this is a big hire. Rumor had been that the Spiders would first look to current coach Glenn Carter, but that's obviously dead letter at this point. Despite all the furor surrounding how Richmond went about its business to bring Division I lacrosse into the fold, Richmond remains an interesting destination for any coach looking to latch onto a potential rocket ship. Chemotti may not shuffle the assistantship deck right away, but there will be movement toward the Spiders given what the program, and Chemotti, can provide someone looking to move up the coaching ladder.