LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hours before Jeff Brohm was formally introduced as the new head football coach for the University of Louisville (UofL), his former players were already celebrating the hire bringing the hometown hero back to his alma mater.
WHAS 11 talked to Hunter Cantwell, a former UofL quarterback who's now the head coach at Christian Academy of Louisville (CAL).
"Congratulations, Coach. So excited to have you home, and we'll be there rooting you on [from] day one," said Cantwell, who just led CAL to a state championship.
Former Cardinals players are ecstatic for the program's future under the leadership of the man they call coach.
Cantwell led the Cards as their starting quarterback in 2008, when Brohm was the offensive coordinator.
"This is not a stepping-stone job, this is a destination for him," he said. "And to see him really put down his roots here and be able to build this program for however long he wants to coach is exciting, and I think it's going to lead to long-term success. When he gets cemented in here and gets his staff put together, and is able to recruit his guys and bring the former players on board, then I think you're really going to see it take off."
Meanwhile, we also talked to Mario Urrutia -- 'Super Mario' as he was called -- who's one of Louisville's all-time great wide receivers.
Urrutia also played under Brohm, during his time as an assistant coach at UofL.
"He never shied away from wanting to hit the big traditional schools in the mouth. Just him in those big games, and just knowing he's always going to take the first punch and he's going to take the biggest punch. I could always appreciate that," he said. "The Brohm family in general just has greatness in their blood. The sky's the limit. I believe he'll have great success."
A lot of the hope is Brohm will prioritize recruiting locally, too, which is something former head coach Scott Satterfield -- who was just announced to lead the University of Cincinnati's program -- caught some heat for not doing enough of.
Now, much of the speculation is about whether Brohm will be able to retain the top class of 2023 recruits, secured under Satterfield.
The alumni we spoke to believe their former coach is more than up to the task.
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