Brian Brohm to serve as Purdue's interim coach for bowl game

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Purdue offensive coordinator Brian Brohm is getting another chance to replace his older brother.

And this time, he'll be more than an adviser.

Shortly after Louisville announced Thursday it had hired Jeff Brohm, Boilermakers athletic director Mike Bobinski named Brohm's younger brother as interim coach for the Citrus Bowl game against No. 17 LSU on Jan. 2.

“Let me just explain something, some people think that sounds strange, but he’s a really talented coach and if his name wasn’t Brohm it wouldn’t be strange at all,” Bobinski said. “Brian was really excited and it’s a great professional moment for him to put his mark on the program over the next few weeks.”

Mark Hagen, one of three co-defensive coordinators, will call the defense following the immediate departure of Ron English for Louisville, Bobinski said. English called the defensive signals and coached safeties.

Brian Brohm got his first chance as a head coach in October 2020 when he led the Boilermakers to a season-opening 24-20 victory over Iowa after Jeff Brohm tested positive for COVID-19. He returned to his play-calling duties when his older brother returned for Week 2.

It’s already been a historic season for the Boilermakers (8-5), who won their first Big Ten West Division title before a loss to Michigan in the conference championship game. The LSU game will come in front of a national television audience with a shot at a second consecutive bowl win.

Bobinski said he would welcome it if Brian Brohm and Hagen remained on staff though he did not commit to interviewing either to fill the to job.

Instead, Bobinski thanked the elder Brohm for rebuilding the Boilermakers program and said he had already contacted some potential candidates.

“We want to do this as expeditiously as possible,” Bobinski said. “We don’t want to rush it, but we’re aware of the calendar, the early signing date and we want to get it done as quickly as possible.”

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2