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Tennessee football: Five TransPerfect Music City Bowl storylines for Vols and Purdue Boilermakers

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 7, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; View of Nissan Stadium during the second half as Nashville SC plays New York Red Bulls. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; View of Nissan Stadium during the second half as Nashville SC plays New York Red Bulls. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm jogs onto the field prior to a NCAA football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 in West Lafayette.Pfoot Vs Wisconsin
Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm jogs onto the field prior to a NCAA football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 in West Lafayette.Pfoot Vs Wisconsin /

1. Battle of two former starting Division I QBs

Jeff Brohm and Josh Heupel are still more known for their playing days than their coaching days. They also both have a Tennessee football connection. Heupel’s is obvious. He played for the Oklahoma Sooners and led them to a national championship in 2000.

On the other side, though, Brohm played for the Louisville Cardinals in the early 1990s, leading them to a 9-3 record, a Liberty Bowl win and a top 25 finish his final year there in 1993. That season, he visited UT and lost to Heath Shuler and co. 45-10. After college, he was an NFL journeyman for a bit and then played in the XFL in 2001.

The more interesting storyline, though, is just how close the Vols came to landing Brohm in 2017. Remember, he was one of the people John Currie almost hired after the attempted Greg Schiano hire fell through. Currie turned to Brohm after Mike Gundy rejected the Vols to stay with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

This hire was so close to being made that we wrote about it here, calling Brohm a home run hire. Based on reports at the time, it seemed like Currie negotiated a deal, but all the details weren’t approved by the administration, so it fell through.

Next. Vols' 10 greatest bowl wins in history. dark

It’s interesting to wonder what would have happened if Brohm ended up with Tennessee football. Like Heupel, he is known for his offensive mind. However, Vol fans are probably happy with who they have now. Brohm would have worked out better than Jeremy Pruitt, though.

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