Louisville AD Josh Heird to 'Work Tirelessly' in Effort to Find New Football Coach

The Cardinals' athletic director wants to move as quickly as possible when it comes to finding a new head coach.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In a plot twist that you would usually only expect out of a Hollywood script, the Louisville football program is suddenly in the market for a new coach.

On Monday, it was announced that head coach Scott Satterfield would be leaving the Cardinals, and had travelled up I-71 to accept the vacant head coaching position at Cincinnati. Ironically enough, the Cardinals and Bearcats - who are already longtime rivals across multiple sports - are set to face off in the Fenway Bowl later this month.

But as quickly as Satterfield had opted to bolt, a move that began to materialize last Saturday night, Louisville athletic director Josh Heird also started getting the gears in motion on his end. In fact, speaking to the media on Monday just hours after Satterfield had officially accepted the UC job, Heird revealed that the search for a new head coach is already underway.

"I would tell you that our search for a new head coach has already begun," he said. "I can tell you that I am as prepared as I can be to make sure that we find a really, really good leader for this football program. That’s what I have started to do and what I will continue to do until we find that person."

In this day and age of the college football, Heird's desire to move swiftly isn't just a personal preference, it's one that has the best interests of the university at hand. Monday also marked the first day of a 45-day period where the transfer portal is officially open. The Fenway Bowl is one of the first bowls of the postseason, kicking off on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 11:00 a.m. EST. The early signing period for the 2023 cycle, a recruiting class for Louisville that - on paper - would be the best in school history, kicks off on Dec. 21.

It would behoove Louisville to have a new coach in place sooner rather than later, so that they don't risk losing key players to the portal or high-profile recruits. Heird knows this, and said Monday that he will "work tirelessly" to find the next man to lead the Cardinals.

"I'm going to work day and night because this is one of the most if not the most important positions in our athletic department, quite honestly, on our campus. I will work tirelessly," he said. "I thought going back to Saturday night when I thought the potential was there and I haven't slept since then. I took a little break yesterday, but we're going to work until we name a head coach, and I don't know how long it's going to take.”

Even with the pressure to bring in a new coach in a hurry given the circumstances, Heird does not want to rush the process to the point where it interferes with the quality of the end result. He even stated that he was "not 100 percent sure" that he would use a search firm, like he did with the men's basketball head coaching search. Regardless of the methods used to vet out candidates, Heird still wants to operate with "due diligence." 

"I'm going to do everything I can to find a football coach as quickly as we can, but we're not going to make some knee jerk decision because we think we have a deadline to meet," he said. "I'm confident in what this university represents as far as football, as far as the university, as far as academics, and as far as the community. We’re going to do our due diligence and make the right decision.” 

Regardless of the amount of time it takes to find their next head coach, Heird's standards for the candidates are not wavering. He remains steadfast in his belief that Louisville "is one of the better jobs in the country," and wants to find a coach that works well "with the department, the university and the community."

"I don't want the University of Louisville to take a backseat to anybody. And that's my expectation," he said. "I truly believe that this can be one of the best programs in the country. Are we there today? No, we're not there today. But I anticipate it and I'm going to do everything I can. I'm not going to sleep until we find somebody who, at least in my mind, wants to be here for a long time. That’s really important for me.

"I think programs are built on continuity. And in order to create that continuity, you have to have a leader who wants to be here for a long time. So that's going to be an important part of any of the conversations I have.”

In four seasons as the head coach of the Cardinals, Satterfield went 25-24, including 7-5 this season. He guided them to an 8-5 record in his rookie campaign in 2019, including a 38-28 win over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl. He was tabbed at the 2019 ACC Coach of the Year.

However, the next two season under Satterfield were a roller coaster, with the Cardinals going 4-7 in 2020 and 6-7 in 2021. His fourth year at the helm also got off to a rocky start, with Louisville kicking off the season at 2-3. Following the poor start, Louisville performed much better down the stretch, winning five of their final seven games, including a four-game winning streak - their longest since 2016.

(Photo of Josh Heird: Matthew McGavic - Louisville Report)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter