Todd Grantham Turns Down The Oakland Raiders To Stay At Louisville

On the same day that the Oakland Raiders offered him a 2-year contract to become their new defensive coordinator, Todd Grantham said he was sticking with Louisville.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to have interviewed for the defensive coordinator position with the Oakland Raiders, but I'm committed to the University of Louisville," Grantham said in a statement. "I said when I came to Louisville that I thought we could win a national championship, and we are building toward that goal with the success we had this season. Coach Petrino and Tom Jurich have given me a great opportunity and I'm grateful for their commitment. My family loves it in Louisville, and I think we are establishing something special here with head coach Bobby Petrino and our staff. Our main objective over the next week is to finish strong in recruiting and continue to bolster this signing class."

Reports from Tuesday were that Grantham and Petrino were set to hit the road together on Wednesday to visit U of L commit GG Robinson. The head coach also made a statement about Grantham's decision.

"We're very pleased and happy that Todd is going to be staying at the University of Louisville," Petrino said. "He's done a fabulous job with our defense that ranked in the top 10. He's one of the finest assistant coaches in the country, and you expect excellent coaches like Todd to get opportunities in the NFL. I've always had respect for the job that Todd has done throughout his career, especially this past year at Louisville, and we're happy that he has and family will continue to be members of the Cardinals' family."

So in the first month of the offseason, we've seen Louisville's offensive coordinator turn down Oklahoma, and Louisville's defensive coordinator turn down the Oakland Raiders. That's a pretty strong message.