Jeff Brohm is the right man for Purdue.
Purdue isn’t blessed with the immense resources that many of their Big Ten competitors enjoy. That’s why keeping Jeff Brohm is so important for the Boilermakers. Fortunately, the administration’s decision to give Brohm a bumper new contract is such a smart decision.
Brohm’s new extension adds two years to his original contract and sees the total compensation boosted to $29 million, with a $3.8 salary for 2018, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
The new deal should go a long way toward keeping potential suitors away from chasing him in the near future. Tennessee reportedly pursued Brohm last offseason. Adding a lot of money to his deal is perhaps the least important aspect of the new deal.
Brohm will be particularly appreciative of Purdue’s commitment to his staff. The University has agreed to contribute an extra $400,000 annually for his assistant pool. That will go a long way toward Brohm’s ability to keep important members of his staff. It also will make replacing inevitable departures with qualified candidate a realistic proposition.
The biggest plus of the deal for Purdue is the massive buyout clause. Leaving the University before 2024 is going to be costly for Brohm. The buyout does decline as time goes on, but it will give interested programs something to think about before they want to steal Brohm away from the Boilermakers.
Some might question why Purdue would make this level of commitment to a coach who only managed to go 7-6 last season. The answer is pretty simple. Purdue administrators have an accurate view of where their program currently stands in the Big Ten. After the Danny Hope and Darrell Hazell regimes, a winning record is a huge step forward for the program. Going to bowl games on a regular basis would represent a solid return from Brohm and his coaching staff.
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Over time, Purdue might be able to leverage Brohm’s success on the field to more resources for the program. If in five years, he’s still winning seven games per season the school might have a right to expect more.
That’s a problem for a different day though. As for right now, Purdue is doing the right thing. Betting big on Jeff Brohm is the best way to keep the team relevant in the Big Ten for the foreseeable future.