The head coach search at Penn State has moved in multiple directions since James Franklin was fired. Every week, we see a new name getting linked to the job. Matt Rhule dominated the charts, but he is likely to stay in Lincoln. Louisville’s Jeff Brohm is the current favorite. However, he is in no mood to leave.

Brohm turned out to be a solid favorite to be PSU’s next head coach with odds of 40%, according to Kalshi. The Nittany Lions are treading carefully with their next hire, and Jeff Brohm might not be too bad of an option. He’ll still have to beat out big names like Lane Kiffin. But much to PSU’s dismay, Jeff Brohm is happy at Louisville. “We’ve got good resources here. We’ve got a good football team. For me, it’s concentrating on the season and worrying about the next game, and that’s what we’re doing,” the HC said at a recent press conference.

Those resources and Jeff Brohm seem to have struck up a productive equation at Louisville. The HC is 26-9 with the Cardinals and is currently on a good 7-1 record this season. Brohm was signed for a 6-year, $30 million contract at Louisville. But the Cardinals have hope in their HC. Jeff Brohm earned a year’s extension after hauling in 7 wins in his first season at Louisville. He has earned $47.8 million throughout his productive career, having previously led Purdue and Western Kentucky.

Jeff Brohm doesn’t have a lot of reasons to leave Louisville, either. This is both his home and alma mater, making a move to another program a really difficult decision. Brohm has already orchestrated a massive turnaround for Louisville, taking the program to an ACC Championship berth in his very first season. He’s spent 6 seasons here as an assistant coach, making the program a familiar ground for him. Brohm’s offensive prowess has made him a serious weapon at Louisville. The program will not want to lose such a good hire.

Brohm is committed to taking Louisville to a good postseason fate this year. He clearly has a long list of tasks ahead of him, and seems content with finishing them instead of looking at more lucrative opportunities. But the Cardinals have to ensure that the temptation doesn’t get to Jeff Brohm in the first place.

Louisville can run low on money, threatening Jeff Brohm to join a troubling trend

Jeff Brohm is a candidate worth targeting in the market. He’s a safe option, and can build programs at a steady pace. Louisville made a deal for the better by signing Brohm as HC. But it has to have the juice to lock him down here. Brohm’s average salary is just $5.9 million. It’s a low compared to what he’s done – and is doing – for the program. Louisville has upped its athletics budget to $167.4 million for the 2026 fiscal year. But it still has to cover up a deficit of $12.5 million, since the projected revenue is at $154.9 million.

Moreover, Louisville hasn’t been able to hold on to a lot of its recent head coaches. Except for Steve Kragthorpe and Bobby Petrino (on his 2 stint as HC), 5 of Brohm’s predecessors have left Louisville for other programs. Petrino himself left the UofL for the Falcons after his 1 productive tenure here. Louisville is lucky that it has the innate connection with Jeff Brohm that links him strongly to the program.

Brohm also rejected a 2018 offer from the Cardinals to continue coaching at Purdue. But the success he longed to see at that gig is finally materializing at Louisville. Jeff Brohm has spent a long, long time here in his career, and clearly has a desire to bring in more success. Louisville better show him that they also want to help him do that.