By Gavin Lapaille
University of Louisville football head coach Steve Kragthorpe announced a pair of staff changes Sunday, three days after the Cards ended their season with a win over Rutgers University.
Offensive coordinator/wide receiver coach Charlie Stubbs has resigned to pursue other coaching opportunities and will be replaced by Jeff Brohm, who served as assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season. Defensive coordinator Mike Cassity will also not be returning for the 2008 season.
Stubbs came to U of L this season after serving four seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Tulsa. Stubbs has been under fire from fans, even though the Cards finished the season rated as the No. 4 passing offense in the country at 341.92 yards per game and No. 8 in total offense at 488 yards per game.
Cassity was one of the holdovers from former head coach Bobby Petrino’s staff. This season, his fourth at U of L, was the first time since Cassity took over the defense in 2004 that they did not finish in the top 40 in overall defense. Cassity’s defense was known for its’ aggressive pass rush and high-pressure coverage on the corners. The Cards ended the season rated No. 84 in total defense and No. 93 in scoring defense, giving up an average of 31.43 points per game.
Kragthorpe said he will be looking at possible replacements for Cassity in the next couple of weeks.
“I didn’t feel like we were as productive as we should have been or needed to be on the defensive side of the ball,” Kragthorpe said.
Students seem to agree.
“It’s understandable Kragthorpe wants to get some new blood on the staff,” freshmen undecided major Amanda Waldridge said. “Cassity was fine in the years before, so if he hadn’t tried to change things then it would have been okay. Still, it was probably time for someone new.”
Kragthorpe said he does not expect any other staff changes over the off-season. The Cards finished 6-6 and missed the postseason for the first time since 1997.
