Louisville Officially Names Chris Barclay as Running Backs Coach

A Louisville native, Barclay is following head coach Jeff Brohm from Purdue to the Cardinals.

Press Release from the University of Louisville:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville football head coach Jeff Brohm has announced Chris Barclay as the newest member of his coaching staff.

Barclay, who comes with Brohm from Purdue, will coach the Louisville running backs.

“I'm thrilled to add Chris, a Louisville native, to our offensive staff,” Brohm said. “I've coached with Chris for a long time, and I've always been impressed with his work ethic and knowledge of offense and the running back position. Chris was a star running back himself in the ACC, and knows the conference well, which will be a huge asset to our program both on the field and on the recruiting trail.”

A Louisville native and graduate of Male High School, Barclay returns to the Ville to join the Louisville staff. He spent the last seven seasons working with Brohm, six at Purdue and one at Western Kentucky.

Under Barclay, Purdue’s running backs combined to rush for more than 1,500 yards this season led by redshirt-freshman Devin Mockobee, who heads into Purdue’s bowl game with 920 yards. Barclay and the Boilermakers captured the Big Ten West Division crown and played in the conference championship game.

Barclay’s running backs also eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2017, 2018 and 2021. In the six-game 2020 campaign, running back Zander Horvath accumulated 746 all-purpose yards and earned third team All-Big Ten honors.

Barclay spent one season working with Brohm at WKU before moving to Purdue. Under Barclay’s guidance, Anthony Wales was named the Conference USA Championship Game Most Valuable Player and the Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP. Wales rushed for 1,621 yards on 237 attempts (6.8 average) and a school-record 27 touchdowns. Wales’ touchdown total led the nation, while his yardage total ranked eighth among FBS players. Wales finished the season ranked 13th in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 1,944.

Prior to Western Kentucky, Barclay spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as running backs coach at Marshall. In 2014, Barclay led Devon Johnson to 1,767 rushing yards on 206 attempts (8.6 average) and 17 touchdowns. Johnson was a 2014 Doak Walker Award semifinalist, finishing sixth in the nation in rushing yards and 13th in rushing touchdowns in his first seasons as a running back after moving from tight end. As a team, the Thundering Herd led the conference in rushing yards per game (271.9), rushing touchdowns (40) and yards per carry (6.8) in 2014.

Barclay also spent a pair of seasons coaching running backs at William & Mary and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Wake Forest, in 2011.

The Demon Deacons’ all-time leading rushing and scorer (non-kicker) with 4,032 yards, 40 touchdowns and 240 points, Barclay was the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to lead the league in rushing three consecutive seasons, finishing with 1,192 yards in 2003, 1,010 in 2004 and 1,127 in 2005. He was named First Team All-ACC twice and was the 2005 ACC Player of the Year. He was inducted into the Wake Forest Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns, Barclay played in the National Football League for three seasons with the Browns (2006-07), Tennessee Titans (2007), New Orleans Saints (2007) and Atlanta Falcons (2008). He also played with the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe in 2007 and the New York Sentinels in the United States Football League in 2009.

Barclay graduated from Wake Forest in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. He and his wife, Ashlee, have two daughters, Houstyn and Harrisyn.

(Photo of Chris Barclay: Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

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