They’re out there thirsty and circling. Look at them.
From Florida.
To LSU.
Penn State and on down the line.
Rudderless football vultures with fired football coaches now seeking to pick fresh meat to give them direction for the future.
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And here sits Louisville coach Jeff Brohm.
With his history of winning big games. With his innovative approach to offense. With his ability to identify talent and develop the most important position on the field: quarterback.
His name is on a short list of qualified coaches to take on some of the best jobs in college football that are now open. It won’t be much of a surprise if someone reaches out to see if he’s interested in talking.
Brohm isn’t going anywhere. He’s in a unique situation of coaching his alma mater in his hometown. It’s even more rare that his brothers and father also played there. The added roots of being in the First Family of Louisville football gives the program stability at the top.
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There hasn’t really been much time in the past 25 seasons when Louisville wouldn’t be sweating out losing its head coach with so many quality openings. And it wasn’t just that coaches left, it was how they did it.
Bobby Petrino had a wandering eye for several openings during his first stint at U of L, most notably his airplane interview with Auburn, before he eventually surprised many by going to the Atlanta Falcons.
Charlie Strong elevated hopes that he’d stay around a while when he turned down the Tennessee offer. Only to later leave for Texas.
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Scott Satterfield did a bit of self-sabotage to his tenure by flirting with South Carolina. By the time he left for Cincinnati, it was a welcomed departure by many in the fan base.
Of Brohm’s five predecessors at U of L, only Steve Kragthorpe and the second stint of Petrino ended with them being fired.
Brohm has too many connections with the city and community at large to leave after three seasons. His heart is in Louisville.
That doesn’t mean U of L should take his loyalty for granted. Brohm took the Cardinals to their first ACC championship appearance and has them contending again, which could have them in the College Football Playoff mix, too.
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Athletics director Josh Heird must do everything possible to make sure Brohm has the resources he needs to stay in that competitive stratosphere. That included something like adding a general manager position and hiring Vince Marrow to fill it, but mainly resources in today’s college game just means making sure the money is right to offer players.
U of L has not disclosed how much of its revenue-sharing pie it designated for football, but whatever the amount, Heird should ensure it stays at a level where Brohm can sign the players he desires.
He’s already shown in his two seasons that he can take care of the rest.
This, of course, is not to say that Brohm will stay at U of L until he retires from coaching. The rapid and constant changes in college sports guarantees that nothing is certain.
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The days of having one coach locked into a program for 20-plus years are dwindling, if not already dead. Only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Utah’s Kyle Willingham fit that description in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
Mike Gundy started the year in the category, but Oklahoma State fired him before he could complete his 21st season.
But it’s clear Louisville has something special in Brohm. The Cards must be prepared to show him the love.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football can’t take Jeff Brohm’s loyalty for granted
