Louisville's Scott Satterfield did enough to save his job for the 2023 season. But when a landing spot came open to restart his clock and avoid an obvious hot seat situation, he jumped at the chance.
Satterfield on Monday left Louisville for Cincinnati, a rival school for U of L in four conferences, most recently the Big East. The awkward move is compounded by Sunday's Wasabi Fenway Bowl pairing, which pits Louisville versus Cincinnati in the revival of the Keg of Nails game.
Although Satterfield's departure is abrupt, he never seemed long for the Louisville job. Things haven't been great since 2019, when Satterfield won ACC Coach of the Year honors in his first season there. Satterfield's dalliance with South Carolina in December 2020 stung Louisville fans, a group of whom would never forgive him. Still, the Cardinals recruited well throughout the summer, returned talented quarterback Malik Cunningham and seemingly had a chance to challenge in the ACC. Athletic director Josh Heird, named to the permanent role in June, had overseen football and was viewed as an ally for Satterfield, even when many fans had washed their hands of him. But Satterfield never truly fit the job.
He is a good coach who went 51-24 at Appalachian State, his alma mater but always seemed much better suited to a job in his home state of North Carolina. Even South Carolina would have suited Satterfield better than Louisville did. A metro environment in a different region just didn't click.
The Louisville job is one of the better gigs in the ACC. The school has put money into the program and upgraded its stadium and other facilities. Louisville can access a wide recruiting pool and has had success in prospect-rich states such as Florida and Georgia, as well as in its own state/region. The Cardinals have been a consistent bowl team and recorded AP Top 25 finishes in four out of five years under Charlie Strong and Bobby Petrino.
Louisville's coaching search likely will take a different path from others in this cycle. There seems to be a clear coaching target for the program, a favorite son from the city's most celebrated football family. Louisville can't restrict its search to one person, so a moderate list of other candidates appears below, but there will be some level of surprise if U of L doesn't get its man this time.
Louisville's likely target
Purdue coach Jeff Brohm
At the risk of sounding overly prophetic, here's what I wrote about Satterfield when he was hired, while grading the move as an A-minus: Any coach not named Jeffrey Scott Brohm would have disappointed Louisville fans who yearned to bring home their football hero to replace Petrino. But in Satterfield, Louisville gains someone widely respected in the coaching industry who transitioned Appalachian State from the FCS to FBS with barely any difficulty.
Even back then, Brohm loomed over the Satterfield hire. A former star quarterback for the Cardinals, Brohm is the coach many Louisville fans have coveted for years. He served as a Louisville assistant under Petrino and Steve Kragthorpe from 2003 to 2008, spending the final season as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach. After stops at Florida Atlantic, Illinois and UAB, Brohm returned to his home state at Western Kentucky and went 30-10 as head coach before heading to Purdue.
The timing hasn't been right before, but Brohm, 51, could really be tempted this time. He's from football royalty in the city, as his father, Oscar, played quarterback for Louisville and then coached high school football in the city. Jeff's younger brother Brian, currently Purdue's offensive coordinator, also starred at quarterback for the Cardinals before a pro career.
Most coaches wouldn't think twice about leaving a Big Ten job for the ACC, given where the sport is headed and the way Purdue has rewarded Brohm with money and support. But Brohm could see this as his final realistic chance for a Louisville homecoming, especially as his parents get older.
While in Louisville for a speaking engagement in May, Brohm left the door wide-open for a return, talking about how it would have been too soon to leave Purdue after the 2018 season.
"Now we're on Year 6, I love this town, this area," Brohm said. "I'm an alumnus of Louisville. So anything can happen in the future."
Brohm is coming off his best two seasons at Purdue, which followed a nine-win campaign in 2021 by winning its first Big Ten West Division title and facing Michigan in the league championship Saturday. He's 36-34 at Purdue but 17-9 the past two seasons. Last fall, the Boilers recorded their best Big Ten record (6-3) since 2003, then matched it this season. Brohm has left some wins on the table, including this year against Penn State and Syracuse. But he has also energized the offense at a program that craves it and recorded notable wins, such as Ohio State in 2018, Iowa the past two seasons and No. 21 Illinois last month.
There's little doubt Brohm would have success at Louisville. He would have instant support from a fan base that never embraced Satterfield. Still, Brohm would have to think about staying at Purdue, a program that has treated him incredibly well.
Louisville also might have some hesitation with Brohm. Heird wouldn't just be hiring Jeff but the whole family. Their power and influence in the city might be intimidating for a first-year AD.
The non-Brohm candidates
Michigan co-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore: He's a rapidly ascending head-coaching candidate with ties to Louisville, where he started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for three years before landing an on-field role as tight ends coach in 2012 and 2013. Moore, 36, came to Michigan in 2018 and moved up the ranks quickly, overseeing the offensive line 2021 while gaining a co-coordinator title. Michigan has won back-to-back Big Ten titles and reached the CFP for the second straight year. Louisville would be a big jump for Moore but could get ahead on a top young assistant who is well regarded in the industry.
Kent State coach Sean Lewis: Interestingly enough, Lewis was one of the top candidates at Cincinnati until Satterfield emerged late. He will deliver points and exciting offense wherever he goes next, likely to a Power 5 school. Lewis is just 36 but in his fifth season at Kent State, historically one of the nation's toughest FBS jobs. He has guided Kent State to its first bowl win and is responsible for two of the five bowl appearances in team history. Lewis has ACC experience after two seasons as Syracuse's offensive coordinator, and has coached not far from Louisville at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green. His overall record of 24-31 needs context, as Kent State's nonconference schedules are filled with top Power 5 opponents to fund its athletic budget. Lewis also is known as a strong recruiter.
Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton: His hiring at WKU drew mostly lukewarm reviews, but Helton has done really solid work with the program, going 31-21 overall with two nine-win seasons. He showed creativity and confidence with the hiring/recruitment of Houston Baptist offensive coordinator Zach Kittley and quarterback Bailey Zappe, who helped WKU finish second nationally in scoring and total offense last season. Quarterback Austin Reed has continued the points parade this fall. Helton, 45, spent 2014 and 2015 as Western Kentucky's offensive coordinator and also has made regional stops at Cincinnati, Memphis and Tennessee.
Troy coach Jon Sumrall: No first-year Group of 5 coach made a stronger debut than Sumrall, who led Troy to the Sun Belt championship and a No. 24 final CFP ranking. Sumrall is 11-2 in his first season and an easy pick for Sun Belt Coach of the Year. He also has extensive ties to the state of Kentucky, playing linebacker at Kentucky and then spending 2019 to 2021 there as inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. The 40-year-old brings a strong defensive background and the ability to recruit the region and the South, as he's from Alabama and made other stops at Ole Miss and Tulane.
Dan Mullen: The former Florida and Mississippi State coach could do well in the ACC at a program with lower expectations than Florida but a desire to push Clemson for league titles. Mullen, 50, still brings a strong reputation for offense, quarterback play and player development. His work at Mississippi State remains underappreciated, especially after his abrupt downfall at Florida. The ESPN analyst ultimately could go to the NFL, long rumored as a preferred destination. Mullen would need to surround himself with assistants and support staff who could keep Louisville's momentum going in recruiting.
Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Liam Coen: The NFL-to-college transition has become increasingly difficult because the NFL schedule doesn't match up with the accelerated hiring timeline in college. Coen likely would be a stretch because of those reasons, but he spent last year in the state as Kentucky's offensive coordinator and has been primarily a college coach in his career. The 37-year-old is a creative playcaller. The Rams' struggles this season could hurt his candidacy, but Louisville would be wise to at least consider him, given his potential.