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Two former Louisville assistants are going to Illinois to work under Ron Zook.

Paul Petrino -- who was his brother Bobby's offensive coordinator with the Cardinals before holding the same post at Arkansas -- will be Zook's playcaller. Longtime Louisville assistant Greg Nord will join him as tight ends coach. UPDATE: And former Louisville quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm will be hired as the Illinois QB coach, according to Bruce Feldman. Nord, Petrino and Brohm were all on staff for the 2007 Louisville Orange Bowl team.

Paul Petrino badly wanted the Louisville head coaching job when his brother left for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons in January 2007. He did get interviewed by athletic director Tom Jurich but probably had no real chance because of some of the ill feelings left by Bobby's constant job flirtations. It's fun to speculate what kind of job Paul Petrino would have done with the Cardinals and whether he would have made a better choice than Steve Kragthorpe, who just got fired after three straight non-winning seasons.

Paul Petrino needed to get out of his brother's shadows, especially since Bobby calls the plays. It's an interesting parallel to the current situation at Cincinnati, where Jeff Quinn is the interim coach after being Brian Kelly's offensive coordinator. But though Quinn wants the job, he may be hurt by the fact that Kelly was viewed as the offensive mastermind and perhaps because of some lingering resentment about Kelly's departure.

Nord had been on the Louisville staff so long that he was an institution. He first signed on as an assistant in 1995 and coached under Ron Cooper, John L. Smith, Petrino and Kragthorpe. He also served as recruiting coordinator and had valuable ties inside the state of Kentucky. But it looks like new head coach Charlie Strong will bring in an entirely new staff as he tries to rebuild the Cardinals program.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Barring any last-minute surprises, the Big East assistant coaching carousel is almost over.

The only remaining job left to be filled is Cincinnati's defensive line coach, which should be resolved very soon. So, for posterity's sake, here's your updated guide to all the changes this offseason for each Big East school.

Cincinnati

Defensive coordinator: Joe Tresey was let go, and Bob Diaco was hired from Virginia.

Defensive line: Keith Gilmore, who was also the assistant head coach, left for Illinois. No replacement has been named yet.

Notes: Defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs was promoted to associate head coach, while special teams/tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Elston is now assistant head coach. Diaco will install a 3-4 scheme on defense.

Connecticut

Offensive coordinator: Rob Ambrose took the head coaching job at Towson and was replaced by Akron's Joe Moorhead.

Notes: Moorhead will give the offense a no-huddle, high-tempo look.

Louisville

Defensive coordinator: Ron English left to become the head coach at Eastern Michigan. Bill Miller was elevated from linebackers coach but then left for Kansas. Former Utah State head coach Brent Guy was hired.

Offensive coordinator: Jeff Brohm was demoted and took a job at Florida Atlantic. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe will call his own plays this season,

Secondary: Eric Lewis followed English to Eastern Michigan and was replaced by former Tennessee assistant Larry Slade.

Special teams/safeties: Antonio Goss was hired from Middle Tennessee State to succeed Mark Nelson.

Running backs/tight ends: Tony Alford quit as running backs coach to take that same job at Notre Dame. Tight ends coach Greg Nord moved to running back, and Jay Johnson was hired to coach tight ends.

Wide receivers: Jeff Lewis will coach the position that Kragthorpe handled last season.

Quarterbacks: Matt Wells was hired from New Mexico.

Notes: Kragthorpe has had little staff stability in his three years at Louisville. He's now on his fourth defensive coordinator and third offensive coordinator.

Pittsburgh

Offensive coordinator: Matt Cavanaugh left to coach quarterbacks for the NFL's New York Jets. Frank Cignetti Jr. was hired from California.

Notes: Cignetti promises a smooth transition and will use many of the same schemes and terminology as Cavanaugh.

Rutgers

Defensive coordinator: Head coach Greg Schiano relinquished his role as defensive coordinator. Assistants Bob Fraser and Ed Pinkham were elevated to co-defensive coordinators.

Offensive coordinator: John McNulty was hired by the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to coach receivers. Assistants Kyle Flood and Kirk Ciarrocca were elevated to co-offensive coordinators.

Running backs: Gary Brown left to coach running backs for the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Former Syracuse assistant Randy Trivers was hired.

Wide receivers: Brian Jenkins was hired from Louisiana-Lafayette to coach the position formerly handled by Ciarrocca.

Special teams: Robb Smith was hired from Maine to oversee special teams and outside linebackers. Chris Rippon left to pursue other opportunities.

Notes: Rutgers had a lot of turnover, but Schiano promoted a lot within his program to maintain stability.

South Florida

Defensive coordinator: Wally Burnham took the defensive coordinator job at Iowa State. Tresey was hired.

Offensive coordinator: Greg Gregory was demoted, then left for South Alabama. Receivers coach Mike Canales was promoted.

Linebackers: David Blackwell was hired from Clemson to oversee the position group that Burnham tutored. He will be co-defensive coordinator.

Receivers: Phil McGeoghan was hired from the Naval Prep Academy.

Secondary: Troy Douglas left for North Carolina. Tresey will coach defensive backs.

Notes: Leavitt struck out with several candidates for defensive coordinator but ended up with two good hires for that job.

Syracuse

Head coach: Doug Marrone was hired to replace the fired Greg Robinson.

Defensive coordinator: Scott Shafer, who was fired by Michigan after last season, was hired.

Offensive coordinator: Former Clemson playcaller Rob Spence was hired.

Offensive line: Former Tennessee assistant Greg Adkins was hired.

Receivers: Jaime Elizondo was hired from the Canadian Football League.

Running backs: Former Tennessee assistant Stan Drayton was hired.

Secondary: John Anselmo was hired from Nassau Community College.

Special teams/tight ends: Bob Casullo was hired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will also be assistant head coach.

Notes: Marrone kept two holdovers from Robinson's staff, linebackers coach Dan Conley and defensive line coach Derrick Jackson.

West Virginia

No changes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Louisville put the pads on Wednesday night for the first time this spring, and the opening play in the full-contact, 11-on-11 drill was a predictable one. Victor Anderson took a handoff, cut to his right and was met head-on by a defensive back near the sideline.

	Mark Zerof/US Presswire
	Victor Anderson was the Big East's rookie of the year in 2008.

Crunch.

Anderson popped up from his first big hit since December smiling and bobbing his head.

"You can't let them know that you're hurting even if you are hurt," he said. "If you go out there grimacing in pain and let them see it on your face, then they're going to look at you and say, 'All right, he's hurt. Let's take it to him.' So you have to come out and have fun with the game."

Anderson's willingness to embrace a pounding should come in handy this season. After his stirring freshman debut, the Cardinals will be asking for even more from him in his encore.

The Big East's rookie of the year in 2008 ranked fifth in the league with 1,047 rushing yards. His average of 5.7 yards per carry matched Connecticut's Donald Brown and was higher that Pitt's LeSean McCoy and Syracuse's Curtis Brinkley. Louisville hadn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2005.

With no proven quarterbacks and few recognizable stars, the Cardinals will likely put the ball in Anderson's hands as much as possible in 2009.

"Coach (Steve Kragthorpe) kind of mentioned that he'd like me to take a little more carries this year," Anderson said. "I might have to take a beating a little bit more."

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

You can't follow all the coaching changes in the Big East this offseason without a scorecard. So here it is:

CINCINNATI

• Defensive coordinator: Joe Tresey was let go and Bob Diaco was hired from Virginia.
• Defensive line: Keith Gilmore, who was also the assistant head coach, left for Illinois. No replacement has been named yet.

Notes: Defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs was promoted to associate head coach, while special teams/tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Mike Elston is now assistant head coach. Diaco will install a 3-4 scheme on defense.

CONNECTICUT

• Offensive coordinator: Rob Ambrose took the head coaching job at Towson and was replaced by Akron's Joe Moorhead.

Notes: Moorhead will give the offense a no-huddle, high-tempo look.

LOUISVILLE

• Defensive coordinator: Ron English left to become the head coach at Eastern Michigan. Bill Miller was elevated from linebackers coach but then left for Kansas. Former Utah State head coach Brent Guy was hired.
• Offensive coordinator: Jeff Brohm was demoted and took a job at Florida Atlantic. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe will call his own plays this season,
• Secondary: Eric Lewis followed English to Eastern Michigan and was replaced by former Tennessee assistant Larry Slade.
• Special teams/safeties: Antonio Goss succeeded Mark Nelson.
• Running backs/tight ends: Tony Alford quit as running backs coach to take the same job at Notre Dame. Tight ends coach Greg Nord moved to running back, and Jay Johnson was hired to coach tight ends.
• Wide receivers: Jeff Lewis will coach the position that Kragthorpe handled last season.
• Quarterbacks coach: Matt Wells was hired from New Mexico.

Notes: Kragthorpe has had little staff stability in his three years at Louisville. He's now on his fourth defensive coordinator and third offensive coordinator.

PITTSBURGH

• Offensive coordinator: Matt Cavanaugh left to coach quarterbacks for the NFL's New York Jets.

Notes: Frank Cignetti promises a smooth transition and will use many of the same schemes and terminology as Cavanaugh.

RUTGERS

• Offensive coordinator: John McNulty was hired by the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to coach receivers. No replacement has been named yet.
• Running backs: Gary Brown left to coach running backs for the NFL's Cleveland Browns.

Notes: Both departures occurred during the past week. Schiano can brag that his assistants only left for NFL jobs.

SOUTH FLORIDA

• Defensive coordinator: Wally Burnham took the defensive coordinator job at Iowa State. No replacement has been named.
• Offensive coordinator: Greg Gregory was demoted, then left for South Alabama. No replacement has been named.
• Secondary: Troy Douglas has moved to North Carolina. No replacement has been named.

Notes: Receivers coach Mike Canales is widely believed to be Gregory's successor; Canales had the offensive coordinator title before Gregory. A little change might be good for the Bulls, who've hit a wall midseason the past couple of years.

SYRACUSE

• Head coach: Doug Marrone was hired to replace the fired Greg Robinson.
• Defensive coordinator: Scott Shafer, who was fired by Michigan after last season, was hired.
• Offensive coordinator: Former Clemson playcaller Rob Spence was hired.
• Offensive line: Former Tennessee assistant Greg Adkins was hired.
• Receivers: Jaime Elizondo was hired from the Canadian Football League.
• Running backs: Former Tennessee assistant Stan Drayton was hired.
• Secondary: John Anselmo was hired from Nassau Community College.
• Special teams/Tight ends: Bob Casullo, a former longtime Syracuse coach, was hired and will also be assistant head coach.
  

Notes: Marrone kept two holdovers from Robinson's staff, linebackers coach Dan Conley and defensive line coach Derrick Jackson.

WEST VIRGINIA

• No changes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Say this for Steve Kragthorpe: he's willing to take some heat.

Already under fire for his lackluster 11-13 record in two seasons as the head coach at Louisville, Kragthorpe announced on Monday what had been rumored for weeks: he's dumping offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm and will serve as his own playcaller in 2009.

It's a bold move for two reasons.

One, Brohm is part of Louisville football's first family. His father and older brother played there, he starred at quarterback in the 1990s and of course Brian Brohm guided the Cardinals to an Orange Bowl victory. The family has helped Louisville's Trinity High School wins gobs of state titles and remains very popular among fans.

"I certainly understand the magnitude of this decision, because of the Brohm family," Kragthorpe said. "It impacts my family. My family lives in the city of Louisville. I have a son who's going to Trinity. It's something I'm very cognizant of, the negative backlash if you will."

Secondly, Kragthorpe is putting himself even more squarely in fans' crosshairs by being his own offensive coordinator. If the teams struggles to score points, there will be no one else to deflect the criticism. The Cardinals don't have any experienced quarterbacks this season and will need to rebuild their offensive line.

"It will be very cut and dry this year," he said. "I'll be the point guy, so I'll take all the blame.

"In terms of the scrutiny, I want to be the guy who's scrutinized. I'm fully comfortable in that role and what that role entails. There will be no grey area in terms of that."

Kragthorpe hired Matt Wells to coach the quarterbacks and be the passing game coordinator and Jeff Lewis as the receivers coach. Greg Nord moves from tight ends coach to running backs, while Jay Johnson, who was an administrative assistant on offense last season, will oversee the tight ends.

Kragthorpe retained Brohm as quarterbacks when he took over the program from Bobby Petrino in January 2007. Brohm was elevated to offensive coordinator for the 2008 season, when the Cardinals ranked third in the Big East in total offense but only sixth in points scored. In the last five games of the year, all losses, Louisville averaged just over 16 points a game.

Kragthorpe said he took a bigger role in the offense after Louisville dropped its opener to Kentucky 27-2, and insiders say the head coach was heavily involved with playcalling during the season. Kragthorpe said yesterday it was difficult to put a percentage on the number of plays he called.

Right after the season ended, Kragthorpe said he told Brohm he could stay on the staff but only in an administrative role. He said he did not announce the change until Monday so that Brohm could seek another job without the stigma of being demoted. Brohm is expected to be announced as an assistant at Florida Atlantic on Monday afternoon.

Kragthorpe said he didn't blame Brohm for the offensive problems.

"I just wanted to go in a different direction," he said.

It's definitely different. Kragthorpe will be the only coach in the Big East who, officially at least, calls his own offensive plays. Greg Schiano serves as his own defensive coordinator at Rutgers.

If anything, Kragthorpe is bucking a trend. Several prominent offensive-minded head coaches handed off at least a portion of their playcalling duties this past season, including Steve Spurrier, Jeff Tedford, Charlie Weis and Ralph Friedgen.

"I took a lot of time and talked to general managers and head coaches in the NFL and head coaches in the college ranks who have done this," said Kragthorpe, who last called all his own plays as the Texas A&M offensive coordinator in 2000. "It was a very calculated decision. I'm aware of all the pros and cons."

Kragthorpe may have a little less time to spend with the defense, which he is entrusting in the hands of former Utah State head coach Brent Guy.

"I was the defensive coordinator for seven years under Dirk Koetter, who called the plays and coordinated, and it worked great," Guy said. "There are times when we'll communicate on maybe special situation, like maybe if the offense is going to go for it and fourth down and they'll put the defense in a certain spot if they don't make it.

"I'll be coaching the defense when he's coaching the offense, and vice versa. I'm sure there will be a lot of times when he'll click over there to see what we're thinking."

It's not too hard to see what Kragthorpe is thinking here. If he's going to incur the wrath of Louisville fans anyway, he might as well be the guy wearing the headset and calling all the plays. How good he is in that role may very well determine how long he keeps the top job, too.