Baylor to interview Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm

Dec 3, 2016; Bowling Green, KY, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Jeff Brohm reacts at press conference after the CUSA championship game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. Western Kentucky won 58-44. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

As the college football coaching carousel starts to really spin, Jeff Brohm is set to interview for the Baylor job.

The Baylor Bears started this season 6-0 under new head coach Jim Grobe, before losing their sixth straight game to West Virginia on Saturday. Grobe will not be back next season, so a search to more permanently replace Art Briles is under way.

According to Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports, Baylor is set to interview Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm on Sunday. Brohm is nearing the end of his third season as Hilltoppers’ head coach, with a 30-10 record and two straight Conference USA titles now. Purdue has also expressed interest in Brohm, and Cincinnati has been rumored as another possible destination for him. The Cincinnati job is now officially open, with Sunday morning’s news of Tommy Tuberville’s resignation.

Brohm has helmed an explosive offense at Western Kentucky, as the Hilltoppers have averaged more than 44 points per game in all three of his seasons. They are seventh in the country in total offense this season (517 yards per game), and second in scoring offense (45.1 points per game), with quarterback Mike White among the nation’s leaders in passing yards (4,027), passing touchdowns (34) and passer rating (181.0).

Over Brohm’s first two seasons at Western Kentucky, Brandon Doughty threw for nearly 9,900 yards and 97 touchdowns on his way to being a seventh-round NFL draft pick last spring.

Offense was obviously Baylor’s calling card during Briles’ successful on-field tenure. So Brohm’s strong acumen on that side of the ball automatically makes him an appealing candidate, even considering a lower level of competition in Conference USA.

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Taking Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck out of the equation, whether he stays in Kalamazoo for another year or takes another job before the Broncos’ bowl game (Oregon?), Brohm quickly stands out among candidates to make the jump to a job in a Power 5 conference. So Baylor will have to move fast to hire him, and they appear to be at the front of the line for an interview.

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