Despite heavy interest from his alma mater Louisville, Jeff Brohm announced Wednesday that he will remain the head football coach at Purdue. Brohm, who is 13-12 in two years as the coach at Purdue, was a star quarterback at Louisville under legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger from 1989-93.

"This has been a very difficult and emotional decision for me and my family," said Brohm in a statement. "We are extremely happy at Purdue and thankful for the opportunity to lead this program. 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."

Brohm met with Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra on Tuesday to discuss the opening. Multiple Louisville recruits spoke with the Louisville Courier-Journal, telling the paper they were under the impression that Brohm would be the next coach of the Cardinals. Specifically, 2019 quarterback commit Jaden Johnson said he felt a move was "more than likely." 

Instead, Brohm will remain at Purdue, despite a strong offer from Louisville. Yahoo reports that Louisville offered Brohm $35 million over seven years, but that Purdue "sweetened Brohm's current $4 million per-year deal to as much as $6 million annually, while offering additional incentives to stay."

Brohm led Purdue to a 6-6 mark in 2018 that included a 49-20 upset over Ohio State. He was previously 30-10 in three years as the coach of Western Kentucky from 2014-16. Following the termination of Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino on Nov. 11 after a 2-8 start to the season, Brohm's name instantly became the frontrunner for the vacancy.

Previously asked about his interest in returning to his alma mater to coach, Brohm told the Courier-Journal, "Well, like I said, I want Louisville to do what's best for them. I'm a fan. But right now, I'm the coach at Purdue. This is where I want to be, and I like it here."

This is huge news for Purdue and a big blow to Louisville. For Purdue, it gets to hold on to the coach that has brought the program back to life. While the Boilermakers have only gone 13-12 in Brohm's first two seasons, that's a significant step forward for where the program had been. Following the retirement of Joe Tiller after the 2008 season, Purdue football posted a record of 31-67 in eight seasons from 2009 to 2016, with only two bowl appearances. Brohm has led the Boilermakers to a bowl in each of his first two years, and he's recruited at a level that promises more bowl games in the future.

As for Louisville, it's hard to spin this as anything but a kick to the stomach. When Louisville decided to move on from Bobby Petrino, it did so with the idea of bringing Brohm, a Louisville native and an alum of the school home to lead the program. He was the top name on the board, and while other viable candidates will be interested in the job, odds are the Cardinals are now facing a longer rebuild process than initially hoped for.

Brohm, who received highly publicized interest from Tennessee a year ago, just received a two-year contract extension from Purdue in April and has six years remaining on his deal with the Boilermakers worth $29 million in guaranteed compensation.