The University of Louisville head football coach, Scott Satterfield, is on his way out. He’s taking over as coach of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Satterfield spent the last four years with the Cardinals, guiding them to a 25-24 overall record, including a 7-5 mark this past season. Here are the best choices to be the next Cardinal head coach.
Photo Cred: WLKY
Jeff Brohm – Purdue head coach
Photo Cred: Twitter
The Louisville native and former Cardinal QB should be the first call for AD Josh Heird. Brohm nearly took the job but ultimately decided to stay at Purdue. He’s been candid about that decision more recently, stating that he felt it was too early to leave Purdue during the UofL inquiry. In year six, it seems much more realistic that Brohm would be interested in a homecoming. He’s coming off a Big Ten West title, an 8-5 record, and will soon take the Boilers to the Citrus Bowl against LSU. Brohm has sent numerous players to the league.
Charlie Strong – Miami (FL) DC/LB
Photo Cred: http://www.gainsville.com
Strong was the architect of the 2012-13 Cardinal teams that went 11-2 and 12-1, respectively. It was the best run in Louisville history ending with a Sugar Bowl win. He left Louisville when the Cards were ranked as high as #7 in the country to take the Texas job. That didn’t work out, and he found himself at South Florida, leading the Bulls to a 10-2 record in his first year. For the last three years, he has worked at Alabama (2020), for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2021), and now as Co-DC and LBs coach for the Hurricanes. Strong still has strong ties to South Florida and is one of the best recruiters.
Dan Mullen – former Florida, Mississippi State head coach
Photo Cred: Dawg Nation
Mullen now works in television after spending 13 seasons as a head coach at Florida (2018-21) and Mississippi State (2009-17). Things didn’t work out as planned in Gainesville, as Mullen regressed in years three and four after taking the Gators to back-to-back NY6 bowl games. Before taking the UF job, he turned MSU into a consistent winner and went to eight-straight bowl games (6-2 record). The 50-year-old is likely not done coaching, and the Louisville job provides an opportunity. The ACC is lesser than the SEC, and he can win at a higher clip. How many coaches have a 62.8 winning percentage and more than a decade of SEC experience?
Tyson Helton – Western Kentucky head coach
Photo Cred: Bowling Green Daily News
WKU coach Tyson Helton led the Tops to an 8-5 record this season. They went 6-2 in Conference USA play. Helton has gotten WKU back into form in his 3+ years at the helm. He has won nine games twice and going to three bowl games (2 wins). The former Houston QB has a long coaching resume, with stints at Tennessee, USC, Cincinnati, UAB, Memphis, and Hawaii in addition to his time at WKU.
