Jeff Brohm on challenge of the spring transfer window: ‘Don’t jump ship too early’

The spring window of the transfer portal saw plenty more movement across the country with players leaving and joining new programs. It was yet another cycle that, while he understands it, was something that says a lot to Louisville’s Jeff Brohm.

Brohm spoke about recent portal movement during his postgame press conference after the Cardinals’ spring game back on April 19th. He said it’s difficult to weigh because you want the best for the athletes but you also don’t want to encourage a certain lack of perseverance if their circumstances aren’t exactly as they want.

“Well, you know, that’s the challenge right now in today’s game. You have to have that perfect balance where you want to do right by your players, you want them to have opportunities to play here or somewhere else. But you also have to somehow teach the ability to fight through adversity and understand that things don’t happen overnight,” said Brohm. “You can’t always get everything you want right away. You’ve got to be able to work through things. So you’ve got to have a good balance. You’ve got to teach these guys that it’s not always greener on the other side.”

Brohm isn’t just saying that as a coach, though. He recalled when he himself made a similar choice in his professional career. It too ended with the outcomes that he said that he worries about for portal players these days.

“Once you get in a game of switching things around? I hope it works out. But it’s just – I’ve been there. I was an NFL player. I can remember being with the 49ers and we brought a new coach in. Played a little bit and I was a little angry that they brought in another quarterback. I don’t remember – I might have even asked for my release and went somewhere else. I shouldn’t have done that,” Brohm shared. “That kind of started a chain – ‘Man, God, I wish I’d have just stuck it out’. Maybe it would have worked out, maybe not. But I just think that you have to have that balance.”

However, Brohm gets that this is just the way of things in the transfer portal. Some may have patience and wait for their current position to eventually work out as they keep working. Still, others will choose to enter their names either way. That’s why staffs like his will have to keep on recruiting for their roster year-round.

“You have to be willing to put the work in, understand it’s not going to happen overnight. Don’t jump ship too early unless you just really feel that it’s not a good match,” said Brohm. “Like I said, at the same time, I understand how it works. We’re going to have people that maybe aren’t on the depth chart where they want right now that it’s probably in their best interest to maybe look around. We’re going to have others that maybe we want to keep here, that we feel good about where they’re going but it’s not happening fast enough and they may choose to go somewhere else.”

“You’ve got to continue to recruit just in case there’s a lot of movement and a lot of things shaken up,” Brohm said.

This all comes after Louisville was one of the most active programs in the portal. 30-plus players have both entered and exited their building this offseason. That includes several who transferred back out in the spring after just joining on in the winter.

Piecing together a team is a big ask with how easy it is for players to come and go. Come kickoff, though, Brohm just wants to have one that’s fully committed to one another once they take the field, which is why he’s fine if those questioning their situation want to possibly consider their other options.

“In the end, you want a group of guys that understand that, hey, it’s time to start gelling as a team, doing your part, and understanding that it’s going to take everybody, whether you’re the star player, role player, or somebody who just is maybe a half a year or a year away. You’ve still got to grind this thing out, play together, not get frustrated, and try to compare all these things,” said Brohm. “You’ve got to just stick to it.”

“I just think, in the end, we want a team of guys that want to be here, that want to compete to be the best. Are going to stick together, are going to play together and have some fun doing it,” Brohm stated. “If somebody doesn’t fit? Then we encourage them to try it somewhere else.”