Why Jeff Brohm could turn Louisville into a legitimate ACC contender in the future
I’ve never seen an episode of Trading Spouses, but I can’t imagine the show ever ends in as much harmony or euphoria as college football’s version played out earlier this week.
The Louisville Cardinals were stuck in a union with a coach they didn’t want, and Scott Satterfield wasn’t too thrilled to be there either. But then Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell flew the coup, leaving an empty nest for Satterfield to slide into just an hour up the road.
With no one suddenly in the way, the Cardinals could aggressively target they guy they wanted all along. The guy they tried to get in 2018 before getting turned down and settling on Satterfield. A second chance!
Well, the timing was finally right. Come on down the aisle, Jeff Brohm.
Louisville’s native son returned home Wednesday, as Purdue’s head coach reportedly agreed to a six-year, $36 million contract to take over his alma mater.
Brohm, 51, is a Louisville native, a local standout and a coach who instantly excites and unites a powerful booster base and the rest of Cardinal Nation. After starring at Trinity Catholic, he famously chose to stay home and commit to Louisville and legendary head coach Howard Schnellenberger over playing for Notre Dame and Lou Holtz.
And now he’s home again.
He turned down Louisville in 2018, saying he just wasn’t ready to leave Purdue. But Brohm’s heart never left his alma mater, and after getting the Boilermakers to their ceiling in the Big Ten, this was the perfect time to make the move.
Jeff Brohm’s resume doesn’t scream “great coach,” but with context, Louisville just got a great coach.
After 10 seasons as an assistant at Louisville (six) and elsewhere, Brohm was 30-10 at Western Kentucky, with a pair of double-digit wins seasons before taking over at Purdue. In six years with the Boilermakers, Brohm was 36-34 with a Big Ten West title this year and an upset over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018.
While 36-34 doesn’t scream “great Power 5 coach,” Brohm took over a Purdue program completely in the dumps. The Boilermakers won just nine games (9-39) in the previous four seasons under Darrell Hazell.
He did an excellent job in West Lafayette. Brohm combatted academic hurdles and recruiting challenges to still field rosters that recorded seven wins over ranked teams during his tenure — including three Top 5 upsets. Purdue’s back-to-back winning seasons in 2021 and 2022 were the program’s first in 25 years.
So what can we expect from Jeff Brohm at Louisville?
With the new billion-dollar media rights deal, you’re not going to see many coaches leave the Big Ten for the ACC, but Brohm’s situation is unique.
Obviously, the hometown, and home team ties play a huge factor here. Also, the Cardinals’ power brokers who so badly wanted Brohm at least found enough money to make it make sense, but it’s important to note, that Purdue absolutely could’ve trumped $6 million annually had Brohm preferred to stay.
But here’s the rub: Louisville is an easier job than Purdue. Brohm can have way more success at program he’s invested his blood, sweat, and tears.
Clemson won the ACC this year, but the Tigers are no longer a behemoth in the conference. There’s also no clear-cut No. 2, 3, 4 in the ACC like there is in the Big Ten.
It’s very possible Brohm takes Louisville to great heights and the Cardinals fill that void in the conference.
Brohm’s teams play an exciting brand of offense and will instantly upgrade an-already burgeoning recruiting base. Louisville currently has the nation’s No. 23 ranked recruiting class — and that’s with losing blue-chip 5-star tailback Reuben Owens to Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
Yet the class doesn’t include a single prospect from Kentucky — where Brohm is beloved by high school coaches across the state — or Ohio.
With its powerful 502 Circle NIL collective (and one that’s not much more eager to future support the football program), the Cardinals will start battling in-state rival Mark Stoops and Kentucky for local prospects again.
Brohm kept Rondale Moore, George Karlaftis and David Bell at home to play for Purdue. He’ll get Rondale Moores, David Bells and George Karlaftis’ — as in plural — at Louisville.
His first priority this offseason is to find a quarterback, and he should have some interested parties considering his track record coaching the position — including turning former walk-on Aidan O’Connell into one of the better QBs in the Big Ten the last two seasons (more than 7,100 passing yards, 50 touchdowns).
Brohm will be under immense pressure to succeed at his alma mater. I mean, Schnellenberger dubbed Brohm Louisville’s “Messiah” some 30 years ago, and now the Prodigal Son has returned home to stabilize a program that’s been markedly inconsistent in recent years.
But Brohm will have all the support he needs to be successful. He’s well-positioned to make Louisville a legitimate contender in the ACC.
A week ago, neither of those statements was the case. There was no alignment. A loveless union.
But a timely spouse swap was all it took for the Cardinals to dramatically change the trajectory of their program.