Mark Ivey, Steve Ellis Promoted to Co-Defensive Coordinators at Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm is going in-house for his defensive coordinator hire.

Newly-minted defensive line coach Mark Ivey and cornerbacks coach Steve Ellis will be taking on co-defensive coordinator roles for the Cardinals, Brohm announced Tuesday.

It was among a flurry of staff moves announced by Brohm. Ivey, who has coached the linebackers for Louisville ever since Brohm took over the program in 2023, will be moving back to coaching the defensive line. Quality control specialist Adam Mueller will take over as linebackers coach, while quality control specialist Brandon Sharp will be the safeties coach.

Ivey is replacing Mark Hagen, who was not retained after his contract expired and later wound up at Oregon State. Sharp is replacing Ron English, who is taking the 2026 season off from coaching.

The two assistants have been a part of Brohm's staff at Louisville since day one. Ivey was retained by Brohm after spending all four season on previous head coach Scott Satterfield's staff, while Ellis came over from East Carolina.

During their time on staff at Louisville, Ivey and Ellis have developed reputations as fantastic evaluators and developers of talent. Ivey helped mold T.J. Quinn into an all-conference linebacker, and was the primary recruiter of defensive end Ashton Gillotte. Ellis has helped corners like Quincy Riley, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Corey Thornton earn spots on NFL rosters as well.

Louisville finished this past season at 9-4 overall, thanks in part to Ivey and Ellis' coaching efforts on the defensive side of the ball. The Cardinals' 303.1 yards allowed per games ranked 16th in the FBS and second in the ACC, while their 21.2 points allowed per games came in at 38th and fifth, respectively.

In Ivey and Ellis' first year on the staff, the Cardinals had a very good first season on the defensive side of the ball, with their 317.1 yards and 21.3 points allowed per games ranking 21st and 33rd in the nation, respectively. This helped fuel the Cardinals to a 10-4 season, which included their first ever berth in the ACC Championship Game.

In year two under Brohm, Louisville's efforts on defensive took a step backwards. They gave up 368.7 yards and 24.1 points per game, which ranked 64th and 56th, respectively, in the FBS. Though the Cardinals still finished that season at 9-4, including wins over Clemson, Kentucky, and vs. Washington in the Sun Bowl.

In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.

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