Recommendations from Joe Gibbs and Mike Holmgren proved to be the clincher for Bill Lazor, hired Thursday as the offensive coordinator on Virginia's new football staff coach.

UVa head coach Mike London said Lazor also had the endorsement of Bill Musgrave, a former Cavaliers' offensive coordinator who was a target early in this search.

Musgrave is the quarterbacks coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Lazor had been out of a job since Jan. 15, when new Seattle head coach Pete Carroll started putting his staff in place.

Lazor, 37, was the Seahawks' quarterback coach under Holmgren in 2008 and under Jim Mora this year. He was with the Redskins from 2004-07, when Gibbs was his boss, and also served as a quality-control assistant under Dan Reeves in Atlanta.

Before that, he was an assistant coach at the University of Buffalo and at his alma mater, Cornell, where he captained the 1993 team. He finished his career as the Big Red's all-time passing leader and still ranks third with 5,697 yards. His 34 touchdown passes rank second on Cornell's list.

"I have lived in the state previously for four years," Lazor said in a release made available by UVa. He lived in Leesburg when he coached the Redskins.

"And I have some very good friends in the area who have coached at Virginia. In my mind I have an unbelievable view of what Virginia football is, what it's going to be and should be.

"I think Virginia is a place that is going to win. We have worked for some of the same coaches in the past and they could not have given me a higher recommendation of the type of person Mike London is. "

Lazor coached quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends at Cornell, where he was the recruiting coordinator. He was the offensive coordinator at Buffalo, where he also served as quarterbacks coach.

Lazor becomes the eighth full-time coach hired by London, who indicated earlier this week that graduate assistants Ron Mattes and Gordie Sammis will handle the offensive line.

Mattes, who spent seven years in the NFL and later served as an assistant at James Madison, will be in charge.

The ninth full-time assistant will be on the offensive side of the ball, London said earlier this week.

Prospects interviewed by London for the offensive coordinator's job included Carolina Panthers' quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer and ex-Syracuse and Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence.