Current players aren’t the only ones who have publicly supported Jeff Brohm’s promotion to coach of the WKU football teams. He has also earned the support of several former players.

Before coming to WKU as a coach lasts season, Brohm had spent the past 20 years setting records as a quarterback on the field and helping several record-setting quarterbacks on the sidelines.

His legacy as a quarterback goes back to the late 1980s, where he won the state championship playing quarterback for Trinity High School in 1988. He went on to throw for 38 touchdowns and compile 6,430 total offensive yards in four years playing quarterback at the University of Louisville.

When his professional career ended, he picked up the clipboard worked with quarterbacks at Louisville from 2003-08. Two quarterbacks that were coached by Brohm have both said they agree with WKU’s hire.

Stefan LeFors was just taking over as starting quarterback for Louisville when Brohm arrived.

While he faced the tall task of following up former Louisville greats Dave Ragone and Chris Redman, he put up eye-popping numbers for the Cardinals. In two seasons playing under Brohm, he posted 5,741 passing yards and rushed for 734 yards while throwing 37 touchdown passes. He was later taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Now a football coach at Christian Academy in Louisville, LeFors said Brohm is a talented coach who should do well running things at WKU.

“He’s a true players coach, and I think the guys down there will play hard for him and enjoy every minute of having him as their head coach,” LeFors said. “He knows the game and from my perspective, as a quarterbacks coach, he was very good at explaining the system and teaching the ins and outs of the position. Having played it himself he knew what things would look like before they would happen and he was very good at communicating that to his players.”

Jeff Brohm’s younger brother, Brian Brohm, replaced LeFors as Louisville’s starting quarterback in 2005, though he saw extended playing time in 2004 as a freshman.

Brian Brohm’s four-year career was one of the best Louisville has ever seen. He recorded 10,775 passing yards and 71 touchdowns over the course of his time with the Cardinals and led the team to an Orange Bowl victory in 2006. He was later taken in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

Brian had high praise for his brother Friday.

“He’s a coach that can push you – push you hard – but at the same time, he makes it fun,” Brian said about Jeff. “I think the guys are really going to love playing for him.

“He’s going to push them to be the best they can be and at the same time, they’re going to enjoy being there every day and they’re going to enjoy being around him. I’m really excited for the player and I’m really excited for the fans to see what kind of product he’s going to put on the field. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch.”

LeFors, who played at Louisville during Petrino’s first stint at the school, said next year he expects WKU to look a lot like the team that took the field this season.

Brian said while Jeff has done a good job as an assistant coach, he’s looking forward to seeing what a team under head coach Jeff Brohm will look like.

“He’s worked hard as a coach for a number of years,” he said. “I know he has a number of great ideas and some innovative ideas that he’s tried to implement as an assistant coach, but now that he has full control of the program it’s going to be fun to see him implement those ideas that he has.”