WKU Head Coach Jeff Brohm to Purdue
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources-jeff-brohm-accepts-purdue-head-coa… Is Purdue the next chaos team?
December 5th, 2016 at 11:39 AM ^
So he's looking to retire in three years?
December 5th, 2016 at 11:39 AM ^
They should have picked up Miles.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^
Les Miles, especially in his last few years at LSU, was the definition of a coach that relied more on overwhelming talent than on strategy or development. Moving such a coach to a place that doesn't get that talent, even if you assume an uptick in recruiting, is a recipe for mediocrity. An uptick puts Purdue what, in the 30s, maybe in the top 25 in a year? But the complaint against Miles was that the talent was strangeld by the offense (i.e. an offense with Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry can't move the ball).
Look at Purdue's history. They win biggest when they do so with someone doing something differently (i.e. Jim Young and Joe Tiller), especially offensively. They lose when they try to go conventional (i.e. Akers, Colletto, late-era Tiller, Hope and Hazell).
December 5th, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^
I'm looking at it from a recruiting and PR aspect. Miles is a big name and could draw attention to a rather abysmal Purdue program. The guy is a proven recruiter as well. I think after getting the firm handshake at LSU he might be willing to look at different game plans. Of course that's purely speculative, but I think he would have been a great get for them.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:48 PM ^
Miles was basically given an adendum last season that he better high tail the offense into gear or else he'd be fired, as SURE AS SHIT, ran the EXACT SAME offense as he did leading to him getting fired. Miles is a terrible idea for Purdue. Also him being a bonafide recruiter in one of the premier schools in college football in a recruiting rich state doesn't exactly translate to him being a good recruiter at Purdue, in Indiana.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:55 PM ^
You make solid points. Perhaps I'm wrong, but we're talking about Purdue. Maybe they did better getting Brohm instead but they can't do much better than that.
My argument is that, basically, a Les Miles hire would have made the biggest media impact and given the Boilermakers higher-than-usual expectations. Just my opinion.
December 5th, 2016 at 1:13 PM ^
horrible until you consider what underdogs need to be successful. I actually think Miles would do well at schools like UNC that is in a rich recruiting area.
But teams like Army and Navy can't recruit with the big dogs ever, so getting a coach like Les Miles would be a disaster. Maybe he recruits 2 guys they wouldn't normally get a year, but that's 8 guys, and not even counting attrition, that really won't move the needle a whole bunch.
Army and Navy run the triple option because it gives them a schematic advantage that can allow them to compete with bigger schools. There's a reason Navy has beaten Notre Dame 4x since 2006 and there's a reason many on this blog aren't too excited about playing Air Force next year.
If Purdue plays Michigan, Wisconsin, or Penn State with Les Miles as HC, their BEST bet is to be a version of those schools with significantly worse players. With Jeff Brohm, it allows them to use a unique offense that many haven't seen or prepared for in awhile. Get guys in space and possibly pull an upset.
December 5th, 2016 at 1:33 PM ^
That's a very good assessment. I agree with a lot of your points, especially the schematic advantage aspect.
However, I'd like to see him recruit in a a less than ideal situation before assuming that he will do a sub-par job.
December 5th, 2016 at 5:34 PM ^
where I first heard about the "decided schematic advantage"... seems like it was one of those Indiana schools... cant remember how that worked out.
December 5th, 2016 at 10:56 PM ^
until some wiseguy UM fan replaced the magnetic Xs and Os with Gingerbreadmen and Oreos.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:55 PM ^
It would have been Minnesota. They run essentially the same offense and rely on defense and special teams. And they could have used a bit more of a goosing for recruiting.
December 5th, 2016 at 2:41 PM ^
The lesson in college football going back decades is that big names are worthless against sound tactics. Sometimes the two are one and the same and a coach can provide both for multiple programs, like Spurrier or Harbaugh or Meyer or Saban or Holtz.
Picking Les over a younger guy with an interesting offense on the career upswing would be like hiring Lovie Smith. You get a name, you get a recruiting boost relative to your level, but that is all you get. Purdue can be Indiana, can be a chaos team and go to bowls and build on that over time. It's a better strategy.
December 5th, 2016 at 1:51 PM ^
30s would be a miracle? They would take that until the end of time.
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December 6th, 2016 at 8:46 AM ^
"Overdog." Not a word.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:23 PM ^
Good move by Purdue. Brohm was one of the better candidates that they could have realistically had. They need another offensive guy who can put in a winning system that does not require 4 and 5 star guys. With any luck, they get Joe Tiller 2.0
December 5th, 2016 at 12:25 PM ^
...and I explained why at least 3 times in the first Brohm to Purdue thread last week. Miles would be a horrible fit unless you're looking to steal a few 4* level recruits, have a few draft picks, and go 6-6 every year. He's not going to change your program.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:38 PM ^
Brohm will end up being a good hire for them.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:59 PM ^
Going 6-6 every year wouldn't be changing their program?
December 5th, 2016 at 11:48 AM ^
Thoughts and prayers to Jeff Brohm and his family through this extremely difficult time.
December 5th, 2016 at 11:50 AM ^
This is a great hire for them. Purdue is never going to be a stalwart, so turn games into shootouts and see what happens. Purdue can take Indiana's mantle as the "fuuuuck we gotta play them this week, why?" team where you just have to get into a shootout and wait for them to do something dumb with lesser athletes. Good job, Purdue! You didn't take the bait and go for Miles!
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December 5th, 2016 at 11:57 AM ^
In this situation what you are saying is Les is not more?
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December 5th, 2016 at 12:00 PM ^
It's Miles and Miles Les
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December 5th, 2016 at 11:52 AM ^
Indiana is Chaos State. We just need ND to hire Bob Stitt or that crazy HS coach in Arkansas that always goes for it on 4th down.
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December 5th, 2016 at 12:00 PM ^
I also believe this is a good hire for them. They have not had a competitive team since Joe Tiller. An prolific offensive system will invigorate the fan base.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^
This is about the best possible hire for Purdue. No big name coach (except one looking for a last payday before retiring) is going to take the job and Brohm has done well for himself so far as both an OC and an HC.
But this is more likely tot stall Brohm's career rather than serve as a stepping stone to bigger things. I'd have thought his .750 winning percentage and back to back conference titles would have gotten him a place with more winning potential than Purdue, but maybe they opened up the Big 10 network coffers and made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^
But that would come with a lot of issues, from dealing with a resurgent Texas, your own fan base pining for the last guy (not technically the last guy, but you know what I mean), and the potential for settling back into your traditional place in the Big XII pecking order.
Maybe he struggles his first year or two, though he has a QB in place who put up numbers, but then maybe manages a couple of winning records and moves on, perhaps, as someone suggested, to Louisville when Petrino leaves.
December 6th, 2016 at 8:49 AM ^
Why is Texas resurgent? Herman isn't any more of a sure thing than Strong was.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:10 PM ^
6years 20 Million
December 5th, 2016 at 12:24 PM ^
Would I spend 6 years in West Lafayette for $20 million?...that's a tough one.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:02 PM ^
Is "he hate me" gonna be on the staff
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December 5th, 2016 at 12:04 PM ^
I'm surprised he took the job, definitely a good hire for Purdue. He's in the vein of guys that Purdue needed to consider (someone who will do something different there). There's of course the danger he'll use it as a stepping stone job but the B1G has enough money that they ought to be able to keep him from most programs if a jump elsewhere would be based solely on pay.
I'm thankful they didn't hire a guy like Calhoun or Coach Ken from Navy, because at least the "different" that Purdue will run offensively won't be buttloads of cut blocks.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:07 PM ^
Purdue is not a bad job in that division. They must also have sold him on a upgrade in facilities. 20 million over 6 years is also nice.
December 5th, 2016 at 1:20 PM ^
Definitely won't be able to use facilities as an excuse not to be competitive. Still an uphill battle. Good hire for Purdue.
December 5th, 2016 at 12:30 PM ^
R.I.P. coach Brohm's career.
December 5th, 2016 at 1:46 PM ^
So WKU just lost another good to great coach. First Taggart now Brohm. You aren't really waiting for me to say Petrino are you? It's kind of surprising he isn't taking Nick Holt with him. How far has that guy fallen though? He went from USC to Washington to not really on staff at Arkansas to WKU. Serious question though, now that WKU is officially just a stepping stone is it worth buying season tickets any more? How can I expect consistency when we can't keep a coach for even 4 years.
I know most of you think he's screwed but look at the offensive numbers Western put up against SEC schools in Brohm's tenure and keep in mind most of that is local talent from the Bowling Green area. If he snags a couple good recruits and an accurate QB Purdue makes a lot of games interesting.
December 5th, 2016 at 2:13 PM ^
I'd say keep buying and see what you have next year, if your AD is good they should recognize what has made WKU relatively successful and keep up with it. Air raid coaches can be found and after all, what else are you going to do? Drive into Vandy for Gameday or MTSU?
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December 5th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
But to watch WKU play. It's mind blowing to be arguably the second best team in the area (WKU, Louisville, UK, Vandy, and MTSU note the SEC and ACC presence) and not be able to keep a coach. Maybe we can talk Jack Harbaugh into un-retiring and giving it another shot.
December 5th, 2016 at 2:26 PM ^
They went one-and-done in three consecutive years, Hugh Freeze in 2011, Gus Malzahn in 2012 and then Bryan Harsin in 2013, before Blake Anderson actually stayed a few seasons. It's actually an indication of strength for the program, I would imagine.
December 5th, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^
Depends. Tony Levine was on staff and was pretty decent at Houston. Program has good bones. This is what life is like for a mid-major fan.
December 5th, 2016 at 1:54 PM ^
For the options that Purdue realistically had - options which probably did not involve names like Strong, Miles, and a few others - this is probably one of the better hires they could make, although I don't know how well-equipped Brohm is to pull Purdue out of the predicament that it is in. I hope they are a patient lot down there - if he does it at all, it might be a while before they see results, I would think.
December 5th, 2016 at 2:45 PM ^
no idea if he can recruit, but he can coach up an offense.
December 5th, 2016 at 2:56 PM ^
I'm sorry I missed it, what happened to Miles? Last thing I heard was Miles agents were expressing interest. Was that not true?
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December 5th, 2016 at 3:13 PM ^
Sounds like a good hire for them. Purdue is never going to be a Michigan or an OSU. They're never going to snag a bunch of elite recruits or bring in home run hires (or at least not ones that don't move on to another job in 3-4 years), so they're going to have to beat teams by getting creative. Sounds like Brohm has a very good offensive mind.
Some teams you'll never be able to out-talent. But if you can find ways to out-scheme and out-coach them, you've always got a shot.
December 5th, 2016 at 4:25 PM ^
I would have thought P.J. Fleck would be on top of their list. I guess he's shooting for a more "big time" program like Oregon, although he's never recruited in the west.
December 5th, 2016 at 4:25 PM ^
Because they open next season against Louisville in Indianapolis and also play an improving Mizzou in Columbia. And then they visit us.
December 5th, 2016 at 7:26 PM ^
great hire.
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December 5th, 2016 at 9:03 PM ^
but I'm thinking Chris Ash might be rethinking Rutgers about now. Purdue probably looks like a great job to him.