Report: Purdue coach Jeff Brohm leaving for Louisville

What had seemed an inevitability has become reality: Jeff Brohm is leaving Purdue for Louisville, his alma mater and hometown school, according to a report by ESPN’s Chris Low on Wednesday morning.

News broke on Monday morning that Louisville coach Scott Satterfield was leaving to become head coach at Cincinnati. That opened the door for Brohm to depart for Louisville, where he has deep roots and always had seemed destined to return. A team meeting has been called for 1 p.m. ET today.

Brohm is headed home, reportedly making roughly $35 million over six years.

Brohm almost returned to the school where he was a star quarterback (1989-93) after the 2018 season, just his second in West Lafayette. But Brohm opted to stay and nurture a program he had led to consecutive bowls. Now, the 51-year-old Brohm is gone after six years at Purdue.

Brohm compiled a 36-34 overall mark at Purdue, going 26-25 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have an 8-5 mark in 2022 with Purdue on Sunday accepting a bid to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando vs. LSU on Jan. 2.

Brohm led Purdue to four bowls in his tenure. The 2021 campaign was his best, forging a 9-4 record that included wins vs. two top-five AP-ranked teams and a bowl win vs. a SEC team. He went 3-0 vs. AP top-three schools, with his best win coming in 2018 vs. No. 2 Ohio State.

Brohm inherited a program in shambles. With Darrell Hazell at the controls, Purdue had gone 9-39 overall (3-30 Big Ten) the four seasons prior to his arrival. Brohm had an immediate impact, guiding the Boilermakers to a 7-6 mark in his 2017 debut that was punctuated by a bowl win. Brohm followed that with another bowl trip in 2018 in a 6-7 season. He also took Purdue to a bowl in 2021 and earned a bid this season.

This will be the second football hire made by A.D. Mike Bobinski, who lured Brohm from Western Kentucky to West Lafayette after the 2016 season.

What direction does Purdue go for its next coach? Early speculation has centered around Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun and Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. More names will follow.

The early football signing period begins December 21. Purdue currently has 18 commitments in the Class of 2023. And the transfer portal opened on Monday.

The athletic department has started a $45 million renovation of Ross-Ade Stadium that will see the south end zone revamped, a tunnel built to link the Kozuch Football Performance Complex and Ross-Ade and a dining facility opened adjacent to Ross-Ade.

Brohm deserves credit for putting the program back on solid footing. Some of the highlights of the Brohm reclamation project:

• 2022 Big Ten West title

• First nine-win season (9-3 in 2021) since 2003
• Four bowls in six seasons
• Two bowl wins (2017 Foster Farms vs. Arizona; 2021 Music City vs. Tennessee)
• Epic wins vs. two No. 2-ranked teams (Ohio State, 2018 Iowa 2021) and a No. 3 (Michigan State 2021)
• First AP poll ranking since 2007 (No. 25 in Oct. 2021 after win vs. No. 2 Iowa)
• 4-1 vs. Indiana in Old Oaken Bucket series
• 5-1 vs. Illinois in Cannon series
• First, first-round NFL draft pick since 2011 in DE George Karlaftis (2022 first-round)
• Three NFL picks in 2022 NFL draft, first time since 2008
• Eight NFL picks in last five drafts

When Brohm was hired from Western Kentucky prior to the 2017 season, he inked a six-year deal worth $19.8 million. After he led Purdue to a 7-6 mark in his debut, Brohm earned a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through 2024 and guaranteeing him $29 million in compensation.

Purdue sweetened Brohm’s deal again after his alma mater came calling in November 2018. At the time, the Purdue brass gave Brohm a seven-year contract worth $36.8 million. The school extended the 2018 deal by two years in April 2022, running through Dec. 31, 2027. Brohm’s deal calls for him to pay Purdue $1 million if he leaves for another coaching job.

Brohm’s guaranteed compensation, which included base salary, supplemental stipend and a $600,000 retention bonus if he remained the head coach on Dec. 31, for the 2022 season was slated to be $5.1 million.