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Purdue to hire Jeff Brohm as next head coach

By Brad Berreman

Oct 29, 2016; Boca Raton, FL, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Jeff Brohm looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at FAU Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Boca Raton, FL, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Jeff Brohm looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at FAU Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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 Rumors tied some bigger names to the Purdue job, but they’ve apparently found their man in Jeff Brohm.

The Purdue Boilermakers just finished a 3-9 season, in the midst of which head coach Darrell Hazell was fired. The search for a permanent football coach spurred rumors about former LSU head coach Les Miles and Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck, but Purdue has reportedly settled on their new head coach.

Brohm spent the last three seasons as head coach at Western Kentucky, with a 30-10 record (2-0 in bowl games) and two straight Conference USA championship game wins. The Hilltoppers had a prolific offense throughout his tenure, with the second-best scoring offense in the country this year (45.1 points per game) and the fifth-ranked pass offense as well (336.8 yards per game).

Brohm has coached in the Big Ten before, serving as quarterbacks coach at Illinois in 2010 and 2011. But most of his coaching resume has been at Louisville, his alma mater, notably serving under Bobby Petrino as quarterbacks coach from 2003-2006 and then replacing Petrino at Western Kentucky.

Baylor reportedly interviewed Brohm from their head coaching job on Sunday, and he also surfaced as a candidate at Cincinnati. So Purdue had to move fast to hire Brohm if they wanted him, and it seems likely Miles and Fleck had removed themselves from consideration for the job.

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If nothing else, Brohm will bring an exciting, modernized brand of offense, and a track record of getting the most out of quarterbacks, to Purdue. His brother Brian, who was Western Kentucky’s quarterbacks coach this season, while also come to West Lafayette and become Purdue’s offensive coordinator. If the Boilermakers can play serviceable defense, bowl eligibility is not out of the question in Brohm’s first season as head coach.

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