Report: Jeff Brohm Leaving Purdue to Become Louisville Football Head Coach
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football coach Jeff Brohm is heading home. After six seasons at the helm for the Boilermakers, Brohm is finalizing a deal to return to his alma mater and become the head coach at Louisville, according to a report by ESPN's Chris Low on Wednesday morning.
His deal is estimated to be for six years and around $35 million. Brohm has a 35-34 record at Purdue, and the program is slated to play No. 16 LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2, 2022.
News of former Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield leaving to take the job at Cincinnati broke on Monday, opening the door for Brohm's return after he turned down an offer four years ago in favor of staying at Purdue.
Brohm, a native of Louisville, spent five seasons as a standout quarterback for the Cardinals under head coach Howard Schnellenberger. He appeared in 46 games, including 23 starts, while throwing for 5,451 yards and 38 touchdowns in his college career.
After going undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft, Brohm signed with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. He spent seven seasons in the NFL, but only recorded 353 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception.
Brohm also spent one season in the XFL as the starting quarterback of the Orlando Rage during the 2001 season, being named to the All-XFL team despite having his season cut short due to a shoulder injury.
He took his first coaching position as the head coach of the Louisville Fire's Arena Football team. After just one season, he moved to the college ranks where he spent 11 years in various assistant coaching roles at Louisville, Florida Atlantic, Illinois, UAB and Western Kentucky.
On January 10, 2014, Brohm took his first college head coaching position with the Hilltoppers. In three seasons with the program, he led the team to a 30-10 overall record, including a 19-5 mark in Conference USA, and three bowl victories.
Brohm took the job at Purdue ahead of the 2017 season and has since led the Boilermakers to four bowl appearances in six years. He was 26-25 in Big Ten play but led the program to three wins over top-five teams during his tenure.
Purdue earned a 9-4 overall record in the 2021 season, capping the first nine-win season since 2003 with a thrilling 48-45 overtime victory over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. The Boilermakers are looking for back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time since 1997 and 1998.
Brohm inked a two-year contract extension back in April, with a buyout that was worth $1 million. He was to receive a $600,000 retention bonus if he remained the coach of Purdue through Dec. 31, 2022.
Related Stories on Purdue Football
- Jeff Brohm, Mike Bobinski Respond to Louisville Opening: Purdue coach Jeff Brohm and Athletic Director Mike Bobinski addressed the media Monday morning to discuss the team's upcoming bowl game. Both spoke of the head coaching vacancy at Louisville, Brohm's alma mater. CLICK HERE
- Purdue to Play LSU in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Purdue will play LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Loses to Michigan 43-22 in Big Ten Championship: Michigan football remained undefeated with a 43-22 win over the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. CLICK HERE
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