LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Reports this afternoon from both Sports Illustrated and ESPN say the University of Louisville is in the process of hiring Jeff Brohm to coach its football team. The University of Louisville Athletic Association has scheduled a Board of Directors meeting for Thursday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. with a news conference to follow.
ESPN's Chris Low reports the school is finalizing a six year deal in the $35 million range and SI's Pat Forde says Brohm is meeting with Purdue's athletic director and the team this afternoon.
When asked about Brohm's hiring the University of Louisville told Spectrum News 1, "We haven't confirmed anything at this point."
The 51-year-old would replace Scott Satterfield who left Monday, Dec. 5 to accept the head coaching job with Cincinnati.
Born and raised in Louisville, the Trinity High School grad played for the Cardinals under Howard Schnellenberger from 1989 to 1993, leading to a seven-year career in the NFL. Not only was Brohm a player for UofL, he started as the quarterbacks coach for Bobby Petrino beginning in 2003 and became an assistant coach and offensive coordinator also working with coach Steve Kragthorpe.
Brohm left UofL and went to work with his former coach, Howard Schnellenberger at Florida Atlantic in 2009 and then went on to be the quarterbacks coach at Illinois. He would also work at UAB before heading to Western Kentucky University.
Brohm reunited with Petrino at Western Kentucky and succeeded him there after Petrino returned to Louisville in 2014 for a second stint. His greatest coaching success came in Bowling Green with the Hilltoppers, who went 30-10 from 2014-16 with three bowl wins and a No. 24 final ranking in 2015.
He's been leading the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten since 2017, amassing a 36-34 record and two postseason wins. He took the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Conference West title game this season (8-5) before losing to No. 2 Michigan in the conference championship game. Purdue plays in the Citrus Bowl in January.
Brohm's return has long been sought by many in Louisville. He was notably considered for the Cardinals' head coaching position before Satterfield's hiring, but he declined it at the time.
Louisville was 25-24 under Satterfield, including 7-5 this season with a pending appearance in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17. Ironically, the Cardinals will face Cincinnati but without Satterfield on the sidelines for his new team. Deion Branch, Louisville’s director of player development, will guide the team on an interim basis for the bowl game.
Brohm’s return could also mean a return to Louisville for his younger brothers, Brian and Greg. Brian is currently an assistant coach (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks) and Greg is the Executive Director of Football Administration & Operations at Purdue. The Brohm trio all played football for the Cardinals. Jeff and Brian were quarterbacks, and Greg was a wide receiver. The Brohm name is quite synonymous with Louisville football. Their father, Oscar, was also a quarterback at the school in the 60s.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.