You can say you heard it here first.
Card Chronicle has learned that junior quarterback Brian Brohm will announce that he is returning to Louisville for his senior season at a press conference tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.
Brohm has been quiet since earning MVP honors in Louisville's Jan. 2 Orange Bowl victory, speaking only immediately after the game and at halftime of the Cardinals' Saturday home basketball game when he introduced new head coach Steve Kragthorpe the the crowd.
Brohm's decision marks an extremely positive end to what has been a tumultuous week for the U of L football program.
Head coach Bobby Petrino left on Jan. 7 to become the coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and then running back Michael Bush opted to enter the draft rather than accept an NCAA medical redshirt on Jan. 9, the same day that Kragthorpe officially took over as the Cardinals' front man. The week ended with Brohm's older bother Jeff being offered a position under Nick Saban at Alabama on Jan. 12, and then him making the announcement that he was staying put the next day.
The youngest of four Brohms to star on the gridiron for the University of Louisville, Brian has seen the program rise to heights previously unfathomable in his three years wearing red and black (and white and yellow).
In 2004 he shared time at quarterback with senior Stefan Lefors, but still managed to earn Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors as Louisville finished the season 11-1 and a school-best sixth in the final AP poll. His sophomore season was the Cardinals' first as a member of the Big East Conference, and Brian quickly established himself as one of the top players in the league, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors and guiding his team to a 10-2 record in the regular season and an appearance in a New Year's Day bowl game for the first time in 15 years.
Now, coming off of a multi-championship (Big East and Orange Bowl) season which could have landed him in the top 15 of the NFL Draft, Brohm has chosen to make the ultimate commitment to the program his family has been so instrumental in developing.
He returns for one last shot at bringing a national championship home to a city that many thought could never love anything other than basketball and horse racing. He returns for a shot to enhance his already legendary status by earning sport's most heralded individual award, the Heisman Trophy.
But mostly, I think, he returns because he truly, truly loves Louisville football and the city of Louisville. When you make the decision to turn down millions of dollars in favor of going to class five days a week and learning a new coach's offense while being paid zero dollars, the heart must be playing an extremely large role.
Speaking for all of Cardinal nation, thanks Brian and best wishes for a tremendous senior season.
Note: If you've stumbled across this before 9 a.m. and are doubting the validitiy of this story, I don't blame you given that this is a blog that the extreme majority of the Derby City has never heard of. All I can say in my defense is that I have an extremely credible source that made me feel confident enough to go forward with this.
Peace, love, Cards.