With the firing of Sherrone Moore last week, Michigan is now in the thick of a coaching search. From the moment the job opened, names like Kalen DeBoer, Jedd Fisch and Kenny Dillingham jumped to the top
of many fans’ wish lists, but they’re far from the only deserving candidates for the job.
In fact, on Monday, On3’s Pete Nakos released a list of six candidates that are known to be in the running for the Wolverines, and one of them was a name we hadn’t heard up until this point — Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm. While he hasn’t gotten the attention of other candidates, Brohm should be one that Michigan fans keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Brohm was the head coach at Western Kentucky from 2014-16, where he led the Hilltoppers to the C-USA championship in 2015 and 2016. After his three-year run there — in which Brohm went 30-10 overall — he took over at Purdue. Things got off to a bit of a rough start, going 19-25 over his first four seasons, but he did help orchestrate an upset win over Ohio State in 2018. He had much more success from 2021-22, going 17-9 and even reaching the Big Ten Championship in 2022.
It would appear Brohm had just about hit his ceiling in West Lafayette over his final two years though, so he took the job at Louisville (his alma mater) in 2023. He is 27-12 overall through three seasons; maybe not elite, but he’s kept the program competitive in the ACC.
Fans shouldn’t be dissuaded by his record with Louisville, as there are a few reasons he could be a suitable candidate for Michigan. For starters, one of the things Brohm has to offer that none of the other major candidates has is his familiarity with the Big Ten. Jedd Fisch was an offensive assistant at Michigan for two seasons, but DeBoer and Dillingham have never coached anywhere in the conference. Brohm has pretty much stayed in the midwest his whole career.
Something that also might be of interest is his track record on the offensive side of the ball. He served mainly as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator early in his career. His quarterback development took off at Western Kentucky, as he helped lead Brandon Doughty to back-to-back seasons with more than 4,800 passing yards and 48 touchdowns in 2014 and 2015. When he took over at Purdue, he helped develop David Blough and Aidan O’Connell, two guys who made it to the NFL. At Louisville, he helped turn Tyler Shough into a second-round pick in last spring’s draft.
By coming to Michigan, Brohm would have the chance to work with another great quarterback in Bryce Underwood. Underwood might not have gotten the type of coaching he was looking for in his freshman year, but Brohm has a track record of developing quarterbacks and getting them to the NFL, something that should sound appealing to a talented player like Underwood.
While Brohm could be a quality option for Michigan, it might take a great deal of convincing to get him to leave Louisville. Brohm has been on the Cardinals staff for a total of nine years in his various roles. At the same time, he might be intrigued by the financial resources and recognition Michigan has to offer and could accomplish even more in Ann Arbor than at his other stops.
