Purdue AD Mike Bobinski wants to conclude football coach search as 'quickly as we can'

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski isn’t going to tip his hand on who he’s looking at to hire as Jeff Brohm’s replacement as football coach. But Bobinski did say the next boss of Boilermaker football doesn’t have to possess an offensive background that caters to Purdue’s “Cradle of Quarterbacks” tradition.

“At the end of the day, if we can land in a similar place (and hire an offensive-minded coach), that’s great,” said Bobinski. “But, more importantly, is a football coach that’s going to find a way for us to win or whatever that might take.”

Bobinski met with the media on Thursday to discuss the search, which is going on as the Boilermakers (8-5 overall; 6-4 Big Ten) soon will begin preparations to play LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 2.

The job came open when news broke on Monday that Brohm was leaving to coach his alma mater, Louisville. Who is Bobinski looking at?

“We’re going to consider all options that might make sense as we go down the road, but I’m not going to comment on any individual as to who may or may not be included in our search,” said Bobinski.

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And, if you have any suggestions on whom to hire, please keep them to yourself.

“Please know that I cannot respond to every suggestion or recommendation that good, bad or in between … cannot, will not, be able to do that,” said Bobinski. “So, thank you for the time. But it won’t be something that I’m going to spend a lot of energy on.”

The players have made a push on social media to hire former Purdue co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, who works at Washington.

“We certainly hear their voice and they’re important, hugely important pieces of this,” said Bobinski. “But, honestly, that’s what I get paid to do. That’s just kind of where it is. I hear them loud and clear. I appreciate it. But there’s lots of things to weigh. At the end of the day, I’ve got to make that decision.”

There is a sense of urgency to fill the job. The transfer portal is open and signing day for high school players begins Dec. 21. Bobinski spoke to the team on Wednesday after Brohm had address his players for a final time. Bobinski’s message?

“These days, there’s lots of voices in their ear,” said Bobinski. “There’s lots of things coming at them. But I think, in general, our guys are motivated and resolved to really be part of building what we believe Purdue football can ultimately become. I feel good about where we are at this point.”

Bobinski was prepared for the inevitability of Brohm returning to his hometown, which almost happened after the 2018 season.

“Obviously, we are in the process and have begun to execute a search for our next head football coach,” said Bobinski. “That is not something that we were caught flat-footed by. While we did not want this to happen, nor did we honestly anticipate that was going to happen, we’ve been quietly preparing for some time in the event it did happen. So, we were ready to move into action and we are in motion already in all the different ways that means.”

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Bobinski said co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm will serve as the interim head coach. The younger brother of Jeff Brohm, Brian Brohm was acting head coach for Purdue’s season-opening win vs. Iowa in 2020 when Jeff was out with COVID. Could Brian Brohm remain on staff beyond the bowl?

“I said I would be all for that possibility if you were to continue to be our offensive coordinator going forward,” Bobinski recalled telling Brian Brohm when they spoke this week. “That would be a great outcome. Now, if you have other opportunities, obviously you got to do what’s best for you at the end of the day and what makes most sense for you. But we’ll see how that plays out.”

Co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Mark Hagen will stay and call the defense vs. LSU. Could Hagen continue to part of the program beyond the LSU game?

“I’ve talked to Mark and expressed my interest in him being interested in continuing to be here at Purdue,” said Bobinski. “We appreciate what Mark does. His players play hard for him. He’s a bulldog of a recruiter. He fits our place in lots of good ways. I would be all for him being able to be part of our program going forward and I think he shares that sentiment.”

Other assistants who will remain with the program through the bowl are tight ends coach Ryan Wallace, offensive line coach Dale Williams, linebackers coach David Elson and special teams coach Karl Maslowski.

Co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Ron English, running backs coach Chris Barclay and receivers coach Garrick McGee won’t coach the bowl.

Bobinski offered no timeline as to when a coach could be hired. He wants to make a smart decision but not move with haste.

“Our goal will be to accomplish this as expeditiously as possible,” said Bobinski. “We don’t want to rush into it. But we know the calendar. We know when the early signing date is. We know what’s coming and what’s ahead of us. So, we’re going to try to accomplish this and get this to a right conclusion here just as quickly as we can.”