LOUISVILLE FIRES BOBBY PETRINO: Fans react to Petrino's dismissal | Five programs that benefit | Louisville AD reacts | All eyes on Jeff Brohm | Petrino era over at UL
After another lopsided loss and the recent exodus of several committed prospects, Louisville parted ways with head coach Bobby Petrino on Sunday. The Lousiville administration made the move to get a jump start on the coaching market, especially with the early signing period just six weeks away. With the search likely to move quickly behind the scenes, here’s a look at some potential candidates for the opening.
JEFF BROHM, PURDUE HEAD COACH
This is far and away the home run hire for a number of reasons, most notably Brohm’s connections to the school. Not only did he star at Louisville as a player, he also started his career with the Cardinals as an assistant coach. In his two seasons at Purdue he’s 12-11, but considering the previous four years the school won just nine games total, that’s quite an accomplishment. Brohm has also been raiding the state of Kentucky, and the city of Louisville specifically, on the recruiting trail as well, most recently landing Rivals250 wide receiver Milton Wright. Some believe that if Brohm is the hire, he will be able to lure several of the state’s top players with him Louisville. Purdue is committed to keeping him, though, making landing him not a slam dunk.
NEAL BROWN, TROY HEAD COACH
The man known for developing the “NASCAR spread” offense is a Kentucky native, played for Kentucky and was the Wildcats' offensive coordinator in 2013-14 and is a hot name in coaching circles. Since leaving the Wildcats to take the head coaching job at Troy in 2015, Brown is 33-15, including back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017. Brown is also popular among recruits and was key in helping Kentucky land several in-state targets during his time in Lexington. He seems poised for a jump to the Power Five, whether it’s at Louisville or another opening.
LUKE FICKELL, CINCINNATI HEAD COACH
After spending most of his coaching career at his alma mater Ohio State, Fickell jumped to Cincinnati prior to the 2017 season and has turned the program around very quickly. The Bearcats are now 9-1 and have a recruiting class headlined by high three-star athlete Cameron Jones, a Kentucky native. During his time with the Buckeyes Fickell played a major role in the recruitment of several elite recruits, including Noah Spence, Baron Browning and Raekwon McMillan. Kentucky’s on-field success has been built on players from Ohio and Fickell’s deep ties in the state could help Louisville do the same.
CHIP LONG, NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
There would be relative risk in hiring Long, especially considering his age (35) and the fact that he’s never been a head coach. But Long could be the injection of energy that the program needs, both on the recruiting trail and in the community. He got his start as a graduate assistant at Louisville when Brohm was the program's offensive coordinator and has also made stops at Arkansas, Illinois, Arizona State and Memphis prior to going to South Bend. Among his past recruiting wins are N’Keal Harry and Kalen Ballage, as well current 2020 Notre Dame tight end commit Michael Mayer, one of the top players in the state of Kentucky.
CHARLIE STRONG, USF HEAD COACH
Would Strong go back to Louisville, the school he coached at from 2010-13 before bolting for Texas? While it’s not likely, Strong has proven he can win and recruit at Louisville and he left the school on relatively good terms. Even though things didn’t pan out at Texas, Strong has been successful at USF during his first two seasons in Tampa, leading the Bulls to 17-5 record. Strong is also known for his ability to recruit and during his time at Louisville he helped land and develop players like Teddy Bridgewater and DeVante Parker, among others. Strong won’t be at the top of the Cardinals list, but he should be in consideration if things don’t work out with Brohm.
Other names to watch: Mike Norvell (Memphis), Dino Babers (Syracuse), Mike Leach (Washington State), Brent Venables (Clemson, defensive coordinator), Ryan Day (Ohio State, offensive coordinator), Butch Jones (Alabama, analyst), Bill Clark (UAB).
