The college football coaching carousel always brings wild twists and turns. The next domino dropped with Louisville hiring Purdue’s Jeff Brohm as its next head coach after Scott Satterfield departed for Cincinnati. Brohm, fresh off the Big Ten West title and Big Ten title appearance, is a Louisville alum, it’s not often you see a sitting Big Ten head coach depart for the ACC. But Louisville pursued Brohm before Satterfield; it was Brohm’s job to have. Brohm played under Howard Schnellenberger from 1989 to 1993 and played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1994 to 2000 and the XFL in 2001. He’s 66-44 lifetime.
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Satterfield and Louisville never fit. Coming from App State, his stoic demeanor never meshed well with the big city, and he never truly embraced it. Charlie Strong and Bobby Petrino had Louisville riding high with their best decade in the program’s history. It’s a shock that he would go to UC. UofL’s fanbase checked out on Satterfield. Cardinal Stadium was rarely full under Satterfield. Brohm’s hire instantly injects fan interest and buy-in heading into next season. Brohm is the exact opposite of Satterfield with overall energy level.
The new coach inherits a program in better shape than when he started at Purdue. Purdue was lifeless and devoid of talent. Under previous head coach Darrell Hazell, the Boilermakers went just 9-39 during his four years at the helm. Brohm went 19-25 and since has gone 17-9 over the past two years and has sent players to the NFL.
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The Boilermakers went 7-10 against a top-25 opponent during the regular season, including 3-1 against top-five squads. Over the last two regular seasons, that mark was 4-2, including going 2-1 against top-five teams in 2021 alone. The ACC is less competitive, and Louisville was a top 3 program in the conference a few years ago.
As a former quarterback and offensive coordinator, Brohm is an offensive-minded coach. The Cardinals are used to having one of the most explosive teams in the country. He’s a creative and diverse play-caller, mixing in looks from out of the pistol, spread, and the I-formation to keep opposing defenses on their toes. The ACC will have to adjust to his style.
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Brohm relies on the passing game. Purdue was 33rd- and 50th-ranked total offense in 2021 and 2022, but their passing offenses came in fifth and 17th nationally. Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell, a former walk-on, completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,490 yards and 22 touchdowns to 13 interceptions over the 2022 regular season. With a more talented QB at UofL, those numbers should increase.
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The coach comes from the coaching tree of Bobby Petrino. Petrino led Louisville to success in both of his stints. Brohm fully subscribes to feeding the studs. Wide receiver Charlie Jone’s 1,361 receiving yards lead all FBS, while his 12 receiving touchdowns are good for fourth. David Bell had 1,286 receiving yards in 2021 (plus a 1,035-yard season in 2020), and Rondale Moore had 1,258 receiving yards in 2018. All recruited by Brohm are NFL talents. Brohm is home, and the fans are glad to have him back!
