COLLEGES

AP: WKU's Brohm a possible Spurrier successor

Jonathan Lintner
@JonathanLintner
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Jeff Brohm

With five Football Bowl Subdivision jobs already available, Louisville native Jeff Brohm's name entered the coaching rumor mill Tuesday.

The Associated Press listed Brohm first among six potential candidates to fill retiring Steve Spurrier's seat at South Carolina -- based on speculation, not expressed interest by the Gamecocks' athletic department. Wrote the AP's Ralph D. Russo: "If the goal is to hire a coach who can develop quarterbacks and put some juice into the offense, the 44-year-old Brohm could be that guy."

Russo also listed Toledo coach Matt Campbell, Memphis' Justin Fuente, Utah State's Matt Wells and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. He threw Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio's name out as well with Dantonio a Gamecocks graduate.

In addition to South Carolina, FBS jobs open include Illinois, USC, Maryland and North Texas, WKU's opponent Thursday with the Hilltoppers at 5-1.

Brohm is also a former Illinois assistant who at WKU has overseen quarterback Brandon Doughty's transformation and led the program to its first bowl victory last season.

"There has been some speculation about Brohm being a top candidate at Illinois," Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde wrote this week, "but his tenure as an assistant ended badly there in a contract dispute, and he's fully aware how dysfunctional the place is. There could well be other options for Brohm."

The Trinity and University of Louisville alum, who played at the NFL level, won't be made available to the media again until after Thursday's game. Before the season started, Brohm said this when asked about his aspirations:

"As a player, once I got to the NFL, I kind of had to make a name for myself, stick to the grind and just kind of make the team first. Had to work my way up the ladder a little bit. As a coach, I've done the same thing. Coaching isn't something I wanted to do when I was young. It was something that just kind of happened when I got done playing. I had some opportunities to coach in the NFL and declined them because I wanted to play. It just kind of happened. I'm fortunate to be where I'm at. I don't look down the road."

Q&A: WKU's Brohm on expectations, coming home