Vince Marrow reportedly set to become general manager for Louisville football

Kentucky assistant coach Vince Marrow at the Cat Walk, via Dr. Michael Huang, KSR

The Big Dog is leaving the Wildcats for the school’s top rival.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Kentucky associate head coach Vince Marrow is finalizing a three-year deal to join Louisville football as the program’s general manager. Thamel reports that Marrow will “oversee roster management, recruiting and the NCAA transfer portal” for the Cardinals. He spent the last 12 seasons as an assistant at UK under head coach Mark Stoops, serving as the team’s tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator before being elevated to associate head coach in 2019.

Marrow’s name was mentioned earlier in the offseason as a candidate to take over the Bowling Green head coaching job before ultimately deciding to stay in Lexington. But just a few months later, he’s found a different landing spot not far down the road. Marrow’s name had been mentioned in offseason coaching rumors for several years now.

Sources: Kentucky associate head coach Vince Marrow is expected to become the general manager of the Louisville football program, as he's finalizing a three-year deal there. He'll oversee roster management, recruiting and the NCAA transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/HdIfXEHONF
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 9, 2025

KSR’s Matt Jones says that Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm has been trying “to hire Marrow for years”, dating back to his time at Purdue. Marrow turned down that possibility on multiple occasions before finally being swayed to join the Cardinals.

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Jones also reports that Marrow/Louisville is “likely” to avoid paying a contract buyout to UK. Marrow’s contract stipulates he would be required to pay the buyout in the event he takes another job as an assistant coach — the general manager job at Louisville would not be considered a coaching staff position.

With Marrow on staff, Kentucky was able to recruit at a level not consistently seen within the program, helping bring in plenty of nationally ranked classes, headlined by multiple four-star prospects, over the years. But his recruiting efforts, particularly in the states of Kentucky and Ohio, were notably lacking during the current cycle — and now we know why.