Jeff Brohm makes first public comments as Louisville head coach

Louisville made it official Thursday. Former Cardinal standout Jeff Brohm is the program’s new head coach, UL announced — and he made his first public comments, as well.

Brohm spent the last five years at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to a 36-34 record and a Big Ten Championship appearance this season. He returns to his alma mater and hometown to replace Scott Satterfield, who left to replace Luke Fickell as the head coach at Cincinnati.

“My family and I are honored to return home to the University of Louisville, a place we love, which has been so influential in shaping me as a player, a coach and a man,” Brohm said in a statement.  “I am extremely grateful and humbled that Dr. Gonzalez, Dr. Schatzel, Josh Heird and the ULAA Board believe that I am the right person to lead this football program. I promise relentless energy, effort, and hard work every single day on behalf of all our coaches, staff and student-athletes. 

“Our goal is to compete for championships while also developing our student-athletes into true leaders on and off the field. These young men will make our university, our community, and our fan base proud to be Louisville Cardinals.  This city means a great deal to me and my family. Louisville is who we are. Thank you all for welcoming us back home.”

Brohm, a Louisville native, played quarterback for the Cardinals from 1989-93 before bouncing around some NFL practice squads. He also served as an assistant at Louisville from 2003-08, going from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in that time.

News of Brohm’s imminent hiring broke earlier this week when ESPN’s Chris Low reported Louisville was “finalizing” a deal with him. He added his contract would be for six years.

“Jeff Brohm and @LouisvilleFB are in the process of finalizing a deal to bring Brohm back to his alma mater as head coach, sources tell ESPN,” Low said via Twitter. “The deal would be for six years in the $35 million range. Brohm has been at @BoilerFootball the past six seasons.”

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.