Ad Disclosure
Bruce Feldman confirms Tennessee reached out to Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm
Published:
The University of Tennessee has reached out to Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm about the vacancy in Knoxville, according to Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated.
Earlier this week, it was reported by Gridiron Now’s John Brice that the Volunteers had been in contact with Brohm regarding the open position, but that was the only report at the time. On Tuesday, Feldman confirmed the report, saying Tennessee was pursuing Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, but were also talking with North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren and Brohm.
Feldman tweeted out the information on Tuesday afternoon.
I’m told #Tennessee is pursuing #okstate’s Mike Gundy as GoPokes has reported. Sources also tells me the #Vols have reached out to #Purdue’s Jeff Brohm & #NCState’s Dave Doeren in their coaching search.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 28, 2017
#Tennessee is focusing in on #okstate's Mike Gundy. Would expect #Vols might have to pay around $6 million or more to get him to leave his set-up in Stillwater & his alma mater. If not, keep an eye on Dave Doeren & Jeff Brohm: https://t.co/Vu8AgKMLvR
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 28, 2017
Brohm has finished his first season at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to a 6-6 record and the program’s first bowl appearance since 2012. They clinched the .500 record on Saturday with a win over rival Indiana.
Prior to arriving in West Lafayette, Brohm spent three seasons at Western Kentucky where he tallied a 30-10 record and led the Hilltoppers to back-to-back Conference USA titles.
There have been rumors — though nothing with much validation — that Brohm would be a good fit in Knoxville considering his blue-collar mentality and offensive ingenuity. But there’s some skepticism about whether he would up and leave Purdue after just one season.
Last week, Brohm made an appearance on a radio show in Indianapolis and was asked about his name being attached to other coaching vacancies.
“I don’t like to move a lot,” Brohm said. “This is close to my roots in the state of Kentucky. I’m excited about this challenge and it drives me. I’m looking forward to trying to build this program.”
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB