The University of Louisville's first attempt to replace Bobby Petrino as head football coach came up short on Wednesday night.
Jeff Brohm, a former player and assistant coach at U of L, turned down the Cardinals' offer to become their new head football coach and said he will stay at Purdue, where he has been head coach for two seasons.
At the end of an all-day "Brohm Watch" by fan bases of both Louisvllle and Purdue, Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports broke the news around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday that Brohm would not be moving back to his hometown.
Brohm released the following statement to Yahoo Sports:
"This has been a very difficult and emotional decision for me and my family. We are extremely happy at Purdue and thankful for the opportunity to lead this program. After intense and thorough discussion, I believe it is important to finish the building process we have begun and honor the commitment I made to our football program, players and recruits.
"While going home was very appealing and meaningful to me, the timing was not ideal. I believe that remaining at Purdue is the right thing to do, and I am excited for the challenges ahead. I want to thank the University of Louisville and Vince Tyra for reaching out and expressing their interest in me.
"As a former Cardinal player and coach, I want nothing but the best for the University of Louisville. Under the leadership of President Neeli Bendapudi and Vince Tyra, the future of the university is in great hands. I also want to (thank) all Cardinal fans for their support over the years."
Louisville, which finished 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, fired Petrino late in a season that ended with a 56-10 loss to archrival Kentucky last Saturday.
According to multiple reports, the Cardinals' head coaching search could now turn toward Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield or Troy head coach Neal Brown, a Kentucky native who played and served as an assistant coach at UK.
After a brief stint as head coach of a Louisville arena football team, Brohm began his coaching career in earnest as quarterbacks coach under Petrino at Louisville in 2002, eventually rising to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator under Steve Kragthorpe in 2008. He then joined his former Louisville head coach, Howard Schnellenberger at Florida Atlantic as quarterbacks coach in 2009 and held the same position at Illinois and UAB before rejoining Petrino as his offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky in 2013.
After Petrino left the Hilltoppers, Brohm led WKU to three consecutive winning seasons as head coach, including a No. 24 ranking in the final Associated Press poll for the 2015 season.
In two seasons at Purdue, Brohm is 13-12, but has had signature wins over ranked opponents, including a 49-20 rout of then-No. 2 ranked Ohio State team on Oct. 20.
As a player, Brohm was a starter for more than two seasons at quarterback for the Cardinals, leading the team to a 9-3 record in 1993, his senior year, including a Liberty Bowl victory over Michigan State. He went undrafted in the NFL, but bounced around signing backup contracts with six teams over the course of seven seasons, playing in eight games in a filler role for the San Francisco 49ers in 1996-97. In 2001 he became a sensation at quarterback for the Orlando Rage of the ill-fated XFL, earning first-team all-XFL honors.
