Jeff Brohm, Purdue Agree to 7-Year, $36.8 Million Contract Extension

Purdue has agreed to a seven-year, $36.8 million contract extension with football head coach Jeff Brohm, according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

Per Rittenberg, the school's board of trustees approved the contract Friday.

The 47-year-old Brohm has coached Purdue for two seasons, amassing a 13-13 record and a pair of bowl appearances. Under his leadership, the Boilermakers notched one of the most notable victories in team history when they knocked off undefeated No. 2 Ohio State 49-20 on Oct. 20.

That defeat stood as the Buckeyes' only loss en route to a 13-1 season.

Brohm coached Western Kentucky for three seasons before arriving in West Lafayette, Indiana, leading the Hilltoppers to a 30-10 record, two Conference USA titles and two bowl wins.

Brohm was a prime candidate for the open Louisville head coaching position after Bobby Petrino was fired in November. A transition seemed inevitable considering Brohm grew up in Louisville, played quarterback for the university and was an assistant coach on the team.

However, Brohm withdrew his name from consideration, offering the following reasoning to reporters, per Jake Lourim of the Louisville Courier Journal:

"After intense and thorough discussion, I believe it is important to finish the building process we have begun and honor the commitment I made to our football program, players, and recruits. While going home was very appealing and meaningful to me, the timing was not ideal. I believe that remaining at Purdue is the right thing to do, and I am excited for the challenges ahead."

The Cardinals eventually chose Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield to lead their program.

As far as Purdue goes, the "building process" Brohm mentioned may take a giant leap forward in 2019 with some top talent returning.

Wideout Rondale Moore, who accumulated 14 touchdowns and 1,471 yards from scrimmage during his freshman season, will be back. He's one of the best playmakers in college football and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate if he improves upon his production.

The same goes for linebackers Markus Bailey and Derrick Barnes and safety Navon Mosley, who were top three on the team in tackles.

Purdue does need to replace quarterback David Blough, who threw 25 touchdowns and completed 66.0 percent of his passes. However, there's enough talent coming back from a team that lost only one game by more than 10 points to make some progress in the Big Ten West after finishing 5-4 in conference play.