BLOOMINGTON -- Following his second consecutive win in the Bucket Game over Indiana, Jeff Brohm indicated he'll be a part of the "future" of this Purdue football program.
In the face of intense scrutiny regarding the vacancy at his alma mater, Louisville, Brohm was asked after the 28-21 win at Indiana if he'll be part of Purdue's future.
"Yes," Brohm said, "I'm looking forward to it."
"Going back to when I took the job, a lot of people told me (not to), which made me want it even more, but the leadership here showed me a vision and I felt confident in what they were saying," Brohm said Saturday. "I did want to come try and make a difference. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and it's not. That's what drives you to get up a little earlier and stay a little later to find ways to win. This is a program that has a competitive history and we've got to try and get it back. We've got to try to be a team in the Big Ten that maybe can move forward each year and get back in the mix."
The victory Saturday, which made Purdue (6-6, 5-4 in Big Ten) bowl-eligible in back-to-back years for the first time since 2012, once again put Brohm over .500 overall in his two seasons at Purdue (13-12) and put him at an even 9-9 in league games.
The second-year Purdue head coach declined to comment in-depth on the speculation surrounding Louisville on Nov. 12 just one day after Louisville elected to fire Bobby Petrino with two games left on the schedule.
"(The process at Louisville) is where it was at a couple weeks ago," Brohm said Saturday. "Right now, it's pure speculation. I've been completely focused on this and with our guys, I've communicated what the situation is. They trust me and I'm just going to be honest with them."
After reports surfaced that Brohm would be named the next coach at Louisville, Brohm addressed his Purdue team following the Thursday practice before the Senior Day game against Wisconsin. Purdue player Rondale Moore, who signed with Purdue from Brohm's high school alma mater, Trinity High School in Louisville, said he's confident Brohm will remain at Purdue. Purdue quarterback David Blough said he's confident "the athletics department will do everything in its power to keep (Brohm)."
"I feel like if it was an issue, Coach Brohm would've addressed it. He did," Moore said Saturday. "He said there's nothing to worry about."
Louisville (2-9) will host Kentucky in its in-state rivalry game later this evening. When Brohm was asked if Louisville fans should give up hope of having the former quarterback as its next coach, Brohm smiled and said he "wants Louisville to do what's best for them."
"I'm a fan (of Louisville) but right now I'm the coach at Purdue and this is where I want to be," Brohm said.
In his final two media appearances before this Bucket Game at Indiana, Brohm answered questions speaking about the future of the Boilermakers program beyond the 2018 season.
Following his team's Thanksgiving morning indoor practice, Brohm detailed the schedule he and his assistant coaches will be following after this weekend's Bucket Game. Brohm said earlier in the week that seeing both committed and uncommitted Purdue 2019 prospects will be the utmost priority over the next few days will be his staff's top priority.
"Whether we won or lost, (Sunday) was going to be a day off for everybody. We need it, including me just for a little bit," Brohm said. "We'll get back together Monday for a team meeting and we'll decide where we're going from there."
Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?
Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook
More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
