No Trip Down I65

As soon as Jeff Brohm signed a deal to come coach in West Lafayette it was with the caveat that he may eventually end up at Louisville. Whether it was from Bobby Petrino taking a better job or losing it for whatever reason, most figured the coach would take that trip down I65 to go back home to run the Cardinals, and it was only reaffirmed last season with Tennessee rumored to be looking at the coach. Here we are with Louisville bottoming out and Petrino not even finishing the season. Jeff Brohm is gone right?

Purdue Athletic Director Mike Bobinski won’t be looking to hire a new head coach this off season. Despite what the Twitter feuds say, and they are quite hilarious if you haven’t had the chance to partake, Brohm won’t be heading home and leave the Purdue Boilermakers. There’s a lot of money factors; like the buy outs for Petino, Petrino and Mack, but based solely on football Purdue is the best place for the coach to continue to carve out his mind.

Brohm took a dumpster fire Boilermaker team to a bowl game and win last season in one of the biggest shocks of the season. While it’s a 6-6 season again in year two, and I think Purdue will keep the Old Oaken Bucket and get another bowl berth, this team has improved. Four of Purdue’s loses are by a combined 18 points, including this past week’s triple OT loss to Wisconsin. The start of the season was extremely frustrating but it is a team that went from being a surprise to having some expectations. They have to learn how to win. Look no further than the 3-0 record against ranked teams. Not only did Purdue beat all three of its ranked opponents, they dominated the games. Brohm really has built something fast, without his talent in the building. His first recruiting class was top 50 when everyone knew the black and gold were terrible, and after that bowl win he has turned in to a top 25 class. The argument is Brohm can take those recruits with him like he did when he left Western Kentucky…or he can keep them coming to West Lafayette to put with an incredibly young team and keep on recruiting. Rondale Moore anyone? Purdue was in the Big Ten West race late in Jeff Brohm’s second year and the talent he’s gonna coach is only going to get better. ‘Well they coach because they want to face the challenges and that’s the Louisville job.’ Yes, there is talent in the ACC but even if the West is more open for Purdue to win you still have the Big Ten East to compete with. Purdue crushed Ohio State this year, travels to Penn State next season and will always have the Big Ten Championship game. Purdue was a huge dumpster fire before showed up and definitely the biggest challenge.

Since Mike Bobinski was hired has AD he has committed to improving the whole athletics department, especially football. Bobinski opened up the wallet to spend more money on coaches and assistants and also on new facilities. Purdue was grossly behind in so many things compared to the rest of the Big Ten but not any more. Before there was negatives (facilities, losing, national TV, coaching) that were marks against Purdue but that that gap has been closed so they can’t be used as reasons not to be a Boilermaker. Is Louisville a better job than Purdue, maybe slightly, but let’s be honest. Jeff Brohm has already done enough in his short stint at Purdue, as long as he gets to a second straight bowl game, to find a job better than that. Tennessee was sniffing around last season and the coach will leave for a better job than that. USC or FSU? Those are jobs the coach could take because they’re far in away better but he is on the cusp of something special in West Lafayette until that time and won’t be taking the trip down I65 to go home, except to visit for the holidays.