By Bruce Feldman, Matt Fortuna and Bob Kravitz
Purdue’s Jeff Brohm is expected to return to Louisville as the program’s new coach, a team source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. ESPN first reported news of the hire. Here’s what you need to know:
- Brohm was a star quarterback for the Cardinals from 1989 to 1993.
- He posted a record of 66-44 coaching at Western Kentucky and Purdue.
- Brohm went 17-9 the past two years and led Purdue to the Big Ten West title.
SOURCE: Purdue’s Jeff Brohm is expected to return to Louisville, where he was a star QB, to become the Cards new head coach. Brohm did a terrific job at WKU & at Purdue, going 66-44. He went 17-9 the past two years and led Purdue to the B1G West title. ESPN 1st reported the hire.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 7, 2022
Backstory
Former Louisville coach Scott Satterfield was hired by Cincinnati to be its next football coach on Monday. Satterfield went 25-24 in four seasons at Louisville, including 7-5 in 2022 with a brief appearance in the College Football Playoff rankings (No. 25 in Week 12). Satterfield’s Louisville buyout is $3.5 million.
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Brohm’s deal with Louisville is expected to be six years at roughly $6 million per year, according to a source involved in the negotiations.
Why leave for Louisville now?
Purdue fans will be upset at the news that Brohm, who coached the Boilers to the Big Ten West Division title this year, is heading off to Louisville. They shouldn’t be. Louisville is home for Brohm. It’s where he attended school and played quarterback.
The lure of returning home was too overwhelming, with the added feature of a six-year, $35 million contract. He had a chance to jump to Louisville in 2018 but chose to remain in West Lafayette. But this time, he felt he had no choice. This has always been his destination. – Kravitz
Brohm’s impact on Purdue
Brohm took over a terrible Purdue program that had just endured its worst four years in school history. He immediately put the Boilers back on the map, played creative, exciting offensive football, and went 17-9 his last two years, giving Purdue their best back-to-back seasons since Joe Tiller’s 1997 and 1998 teams.
It was an enjoyable ride that included three victories over Top 5 teams, including the Tyler Trent Game victory over Ohio State. – Kravitz
What’s next for Purdue?
Where Purdue turns next is anybody’s guess, but if history is a guide, they will look for the hot name from the lower-profile conferences. They did that with Tiller, who came from Wyoming … Darrell Hazell, from Kent State … and Brohm, from Western Kentucky.
Brohm has ratcheted up expectations over the past two years. Purdue has shown a willingness to pay good money and has excellent facilities and a solid core. It’s a good job, a Big Ten job, although there’s no telling how much longer the Boilers will remain in the softer West Division given the impending arrival of USC and UCLA. – Kravitz
Required reading
(Photo: G Fiume / Getty)