If Louisville is serious about firing Bobby Petrino, they need to hire Purdue coach and former Louisville quarterback Jeff Brohm, but would he take the job?
Just as Purdue fans celebrated their team’s massive 49-20 win over Ohio State another emotion started to creep into their minds. The name of that emotion is fear. It’s entirely possible Jeff Brohm is now garnering too much attention to stay in West Lafayette past this season.
To Brohm’s credit, he strikes everyone who knows him as an intensely loyal guy. He isn’t going to leave Purdue for just any job. Unfortunately for Boilermaker fans, there’s one job, in particular, that might strongly appeal to his sense of loyalty this offseason. If Louisville parts ways with Bobby Petrino, and his buyout will actually be lower this offseason than next, Brohm would likely face an intensely difficult decision if approached about coaching at his alma mater.
The natural question to ask is whether Brohm would make the switch. We’ve got bad news for Purdue fans. If Louisville is willing to hand him a big contract, he’s going to make the switch from the Big Ten to the ACC this offseason.
It seems prudent to mention that Brohm just finished paying off a house in Louisville that he still owns. It’s clearly a place that holds a special place in his heart. His affection for the school and its surrounding community isn’t enough to convince him to make the switch on their own, but they will be significant factors.
Don’t forget, Brohm all but admitted to the media that he spoke to Tennessee during their lengthy coaching search last year.
If he gives Louisville that opportunity, he’s going to return to his alma mater. It wasn’t that long ago that the Cardinals were among the ACC’s elite programs. They were right there with both Clemson and Florida State with Heisman winner Lamar Jackson at quarterback. Their current talent level isn’t up to those lofty standards, but the program’s potential for title contention is obvious.
With all due respect to Purdue, they face a tougher road to compete for conference titles on a regular basis. They are not going to beat Ohio State every year. Programs like Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and eventually Nebraska should all regularly finish ahead of the Boilermakers.
The simple truth is that, in a vacuum, Louisville is a better job than Purdue. The Cardinals have a bigger budget, better facilities and an easier path towards conference title contention. When you add that to the fact that it’s Brohm’s alma mater it’s easy to see how this is going to end.
As a result, Purdue fans need to pull hard for Louisville down the stretch. They desperately need Petrino to save his job. If he doesn’t, Brohm is going to return to his alma mater as the program’s savior.