What's long been rumored has come true. Jeff Brohm is going back home. After six seasons as the Purdue head coach, Brohm will return to his alma mater and take the head coaching job at Louisville.
Chris Low of ESPN broke the news Wednesday morning, saying Brohm and Louisville "are in the process of finalizing a deal to bring Brohm back to his alma mater as head coach". Low has also reported that the deal is in the six year- $35 million range.
It has yet to be confirmed by either Louisville, Brohm, or Purdue but that announcement is likely coming shortly.
Brohm posted a 36-34 record after taking over the Boilermakers in December 2016. His 36 wins are 5th most in program history behind the likes of Joe Tiller, Jack Mollenkopf, and others. The impact Brohm had on the program was felt from day one. After the previous regime went just 9-39 in four seasons, Brohm guided Purdue to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2011-12 under Danny Hope.
This season, the Boilermakers made their first appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game in school history before falling to undefeated Michigan.
Brohm coached three All-Americans during his time in West Lafayette, Rondale Moore and David Bell, and George Karlaftis. Another All-American selection could be coming with Charlie Jones having an all-time season for Purdue.
As many recall, this is not the first nor second time Jeff Brohm has flirted with the idea of taking another job since he came to Purdue. In 2017, he was offered the head coaching role with Tennessee before ultimately turning it down. The following year, he nearly left again for Louisville after the 2018 season.
He finally felt like it was time for a new opportunity as he will take over for Scott Satterfield, who bolted to Cincinnati early Monday morning.
Brohm going to Louisville was likely always going to happen. The opportunity to be the head coach at your alma mater is too enticing not to take.
During his college career, Brohm was the Cardinals' starting quarterback and had a very successful career in Louisville. He threw for 38 touchdowns and had 5,410 yards of total offense. His number 11 was also inducted into the Louisville Ring of Honor in 2006.
While nothing has been announced yet, Brian and Greg Brohm will undoubtedly join their brother's staff with the Cardinals. All three suited up for Louisville, following in the footsteps of their father, Oscar, who was Louisville's starting quarterback in the late 1960s.
The move leaves Purdue in limbo as the Boilermakers prepare for the next month's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against LSU. Right now, Purdue's first order of business will be finding an interim head coach for the players that are getting ready for the bowl game. A likely candidate for that role is co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Mark Hagen.
Mike Bobinski and Purdue's athletic department will also be tasked with finding a replacement for Brohm in the coming days and weeks. Several coaches have already found new homes, but many head coaches or coordinators could be poached away from their current programs. That search will likely begin today.
It will be interesting to see how many current Boilermakers put their name in the transfer portal as their head coach has left. There could also be a number of players who follow Brohm to Louisville.
The same can be said for the incoming recruiting class, many of which are planning to come to West Lafayette for the spring semester in a few weeks. As National Signing Day approaches later this month, several players could de-commit and search for another place to play college football.
Purdue is in a difficult spot after losing the most successful head coach since the late Joe Tiller and has several question marks moving forward.
