One by one, potential options continue to come off the board for Michigan in its coaching search. The latest hard ‘No’ came from the Louisville Cardinals head coach, Jeff Brohm. He made it clear he has no interest in leaving Louisville, reaffirming his commitment to the Cardinals.

“I don’t speak on other jobs,” Brohm said after the Cardinals crushed Toledo in a 27-22 victory in the Boca Raton Bowl. “I’m happy with this one. I’m happy about the victory. We’re going to enjoy that.”

The football timeline adds a twist. Brohm wrapped up a five-year run on Louisville’s staff in 2008 and headed to Florida Atlantic Owls just as Moore was stepping into the building as a graduate assistant in 2009, eventually working his way up to tight ends coach in 2012. But what made Michigan so desperate about taking in Brohm?

Brohm’s résumé reads like the blueprint for modern offense. A winner at every FBS stop, he’s stacked a 93-56 career head coaching record through the 2025 regular season, proving he knows how to flip programs into actual conference threats.

Brohm made his name at Purdue Boilermakers by hunting giants. The 49-20 demolition of No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, followed by dominant takedowns of No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan State in 2021. Brohm showed an elite ability to out-coach superior rosters, an irresistible trait for Michigan.

A former quarterback, Brohm’s offenses sling it with surgical precision. His passing attacks have cracked the national Top 20 in eight of his nine seasons as an FBS head coach. He has consistently churned out video-game numbers and NFL-ready arms. Recruiting is another feather in his cap. 

At Louisville, Brohm flipped the roster overnight, hauling in 25 transfers in his 2023 debut to power a 10-win season, then doubling down with 27 more the next year. Hence proved he knows how to cook in the NIL and portal era.

While other candidates would face a learning curve, Brohm comes Big Ten-ready. At Purdue, he proved he could win through the wind, weather, and weekly fistfights while still dialing up fireworks on offense. So, after the head coach made his feelings clear about the Michigan job, the Wolverines must be having an “ouch” feeling. 

Well, it’s not something new for them to feel lately. Along with Brohm, Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham was also on their wishlist. That door too is now officially closed. He inked a new five-year deal worth nearly $7.5 million annually, effectively removing himself from Michigan’s coaching conversation.

Alabama Crimson Tide’s head coach, Kalen DeBoer, also joined. 

“I have not spoken and have no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job,” DeBoer said through the Yea Alabama collective. “I am fully committed to this program and look forward to continuing as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.”

However, in Brohm’s case, the sting might feel sharper since they were in “direct contact” with the candidate.

Michigan’s heartbreak even after a full-court pursuit of Jeff Brohm 

When Michigan was in the second week of its search, 247Sports’ Sam Webb shared his take on the CBS Sports HQ.

“Who is in the crosshairs for Michigan right now? I think you have to look at Jeff Brohm. Jeff Brohm from Louisville,” reported Webb. “The search firm had reached out to him, to his agent, anyway, already. And then they made direct contact (on Sunday).”

However, all the wooing efforts went in vain. This is not the first time Brohm served a heartbreak for a program that had been pursuing him. Even before the Wolverines, he was viewed as a good fit to step into James Franklin’s shoes in the Penn State Nittany Lions camp.

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“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,” Brohm had shut down the buzz in a presser in November. 

According to Polymarket’s latest board, Jeff Brohm sits at 23.3%, with Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi trailing at 14.5%. The runaway favorite? Kyle Whittingham, who stepped away from the Utah Utes, commanding a hefty 49%. The question now: can Michigan shake off the Brohm miss after having direct lines open with him?