Jeff Brohm's time at Purdue, Western Kentucky will help in Year 2 with Louisville football

Jeff Brohm is widely considered one of college football's top offensive minds.

His offensive scheme is multifaceted, which keeps opposing defenses on their heels. The ACC got a taste of that last year when Louisville football finished 41 ^st nationally and fourth in the ACC in total offense, averaging 30.7 points per game.

Brohm had only eight months to establish his offensive system last year but has had more time and more experienced players heading into his second season at his alma mater. In previous stints, his jump from Year 1 to Year 2 had mixed results when it came to final records. At Western Kentucky, he went 8-5 in his head coaching debut in 2014 then 12-2 in the second year. He followed up a 7-6 first season at Purdue in 2017 with a 6-7 mark in 2018.

Beyond the win-loss records, Brohm’s offense put up bigger numbers in his second year leading the teams. The Boilermakers went from ninth to fifth in total offense among Big Ten squads between 2017 and 2018. The Hilltoppers had the No. 2 offense in Conference USA in 2014 then took the top spot a year later.

Here’s a look at Brohm's first two years at Purdue and Western Kentucky and what it could mean for Louisville’s offense heading into Year 2 :

Run game

Although Brohm is known for his passing attack, he has utilized the run game within his schemes. But his teams' rushing stats dropped between the first and second years. In his first year at Purdue in 2017, the Boilermakers averaged 151.5 rushing yards per game and ran the ball on first down 40.4%. A year later, the squad averaged 136.4 rushing yards per game, and 34.2% of its first-down plays came on the ground.

Despite the decreased rushing yardage at Western Kentucky, Brohm had a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first two seasons: Leon Allen (2014) and Anthony “Ace” Wales (2015), who rushed for 1,542 and 1,091 yards, respectively.

Similarly, in Brohm's debut season at Louisville, Jawhar Jordan totaled 1,128 rushing yards. The Cardinals averaged 178.5 rushing yards and ran the ball 43.8% on first down. Though the rushing yardage is expected to decrease this season, it should still be a key part in Brohm’s offense. U of L returns Maurice Turner , who averaged 4.6 yards per carry last year, and Keyjuan Brown , who redshirted in 2023. It also has three newcomers: freshmen Isaac Brown and Duke Watson and Miami transfer Donald Chaney .

Quarterback play

Brohm’s experiences with quarterbacks at Purdue and Western Kentucky were vastly different. At WKU, Brohm inherited a diamond in Brandon Doughty, who put together record-setting performances in 2014 and 2015. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound signal caller set a Conference USA record with 49 touchdown passes in 2014 and had 48 more the next year. He led the country in passing yards during both seasons and combined for 9,885 passing yards, including 5,055 yards in 2015.

Purdue utilized a two-quarterback system with Elijah Sindelar and David Blough during Brohm’s first year in 2017. Blough took over the next year after Sindelar got hurt, though the latter totaled 283 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions on 26-of-44 passing. Blough went from 1,103 passing yards in 2017 to 3,705 yards in 2018.

Brohm is preparing for another new quarterback experience at Louisville. The Cardinals won’t have the same continuity because Jack Plummer only had one year of eligibility left. However, Texas Tech transfer Tyler Shough provides a similar level of experience and deep-ball threat heading into his seventh year of college football. When healthy, the 6-5, 225-pound Shough was 8-1 as a starter for the Red Raiders. In 2022, he completed 60% of his passes and totaled 1,304 yards over seven games. In 2023, he averaged 186.5 yards per game but only played in four before getting hurt. Shough’s 65.2 passing grade is seventh best among the top 10 transfer portal QBs, according to Pro Football Focus.

Shough was labeled a pro-style quarterback as a high school recruit, which fits well with Brohm’s offensive scheme.

Pass catchers

At each of Brohm’s first two stops, the ball was spread around to more players in the second year, which featured a 1,000-yard receiver at each school. Taywan Taylor was Doughty’s top target at Western Kentucky in 2015 with 1,467 yards. Trinity High graduate Rondale Moore’s true freshman season at Purdue included 1,258 receiving yards in 2018. Moore was one of three players to have 500 or more receiving yards; the Boilermakers only had one the year before: Anthony Mahoungou (688).

The Hilltoppers went from four players with 500 or more receiving yards in 2014 to five in 2015. That included tight end Tyler Higbee, who had 563 receiving yards and was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Brycen Hopkins was eerily similar as the former Boilermakers tight end totaled 583 receiving yards and was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Besides having more receivers involved, tight ends' roles have increased from Year 1 to Year 2 under Brohm. In addition to signing three tight ends from the portal and one from the 2024 recruiting class, Brohm has put a lot of faith in redshirt freshman Jamari Johnson , who is expected to play a key role in the Cardinals’ TE rotation.

Although Louisville has two fewer wide receivers on the roster this fall (12) than last year (14), the Cardinals added two of the best portal receivers in Caullin Lacy and Ja’Corey Brooks . They also return a more experienced Chris Bell and healthier Jadon Thompson , which should help provide a more balanced attack despite not having the desired numbers .

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jeff Brohm's time at Purdue, Western Kentucky will help in Year 2 with Louisville football