Deion Branch 'Ready to Give Back' as Louisville's WR Coach

The former Cardinals standout was officially named as their new wide receivers coach on Monday.

Deion Branch talks to the media on Feb. 18, 2025. Branch is Louisville football's new wide receivers coach for the Cardinals. Branch is a former UofL standout player and NFL Super Bowl MVP. Branch replaces Garrick McGee, who left for University of North Carolina. The Cardinals finished 9-4 with a win over Washington in the Sun Bowl. Feb. 18, 2025 / Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Before the 2024 season even started, the Louisville football program had already accomplished that few programs do. Their entire assistant coaching staff from the 2023 season, which served as the first under head coach Jeff Brohm, decided to run it back for year two. In a field as chaotic as coaching, having an entire staff stay intact in back-to-back years is incredibly rare.

While the majority of Brohm's staff is coming back for the 2025 season, he did wind up having to make one hire. Last month, wide receivers coach Garrick McGee decided to join forces with Bill Belichick, and left for the same position at North Carolina.

That being said, Brohm didn't have to look far to make his next hire. On Monday, Louisville officially announced Deion Branch as the program's next wide receivers coach.

Of course, given the time it took to actually replace McGee, Brohm did his due diligence and did look at a handful of outside candidates. But at the end of the day, he knew that going with Branch was the right move.

"We always survey the whole scene, but without question, we've had Deion here with us off the field and he's done a really good job with our players. The fact that he has played the receiver position at a high level, not only here at the University of Louisville, but also at the professional level, it's very beneficial. I think he wanted to get on board and become a coach and be a part of that.

"As you look at it, when you when you have somebody who knows our players, who knows the position, who's been around them, this program means a lot to them. The fact that he's played here, and it gave so much to him when he was a player, he was definitely ready to give back and do a great job for this football team."

Branch was originally hired by former head coach Scott Satterfield back in 2021, serving as the Cardinals' Director of Player Development & Alumni Relations. When Brohm took over the program, Branch was one of just two support staff members - along with Mark Ivey - to be retained.

With Deion having been around the program for three years and fostered numerous relationships with the players, there was no mystery as to how he would mesh with the team as there would have been if an outside took over. Brohm cited the high character that Branch operates with as one of the reasons he felt comfortable elevating him from his previous gig.

"The great thing about Deion is we know what he's about," Brohm said. "We know the type of person he is. We know what's on the inside. He's a man of great character, he works really hard, he's played football at a high level. He came back here to give back to our players off the field, and he's done a really good job at that.

"I think now, he wants to dive in the coaching world. I think all those experiences will be beneficial for him, but the fact that we know who he is, what he's about, his character, is the most important thing. I think he'll do a great job, and he's really looking forward to this opportunity."

Of course, Brohm knows that Deion Branch has the coaching acumen necessary as well. When Satterfield bolted for the Cincinnati job, athletic director Josh Heird appointed Branch to be their interim head coach for their upcoming Fenway Bowl, ironically, against Cincinnati. Branch and a skeleton crew of coaches and assistants wound up leading Louisville to a 24-7 victory, retaining the Keg of Nails.

In the postgame press conference following the Fenway Bowl, Branch quipped that he was "retiring" from coaching. Just over two years later, he says that the two weeks where he operated as their interim head coach was actually what sparked his interest in one day becoming a full-time coach.

"Having the opportunity to be the interim head coach, that was probably tipping point for me," Branch said. "Honestly, I truly felt that me being on the sideline with these guys, and stepping out of that role and also going through the meeting process with the young men, just trying to teach them the nuances of the game for the two weeks that I had the opportunity to do that, was really that was vital for me."

While he will be in a brand new role, and he'll go from cultivating relationships with the entire team to focusing on a small group of players, Branch says that his mindset and approach will remain the same as it always has been. In fact, he believes that his leadership capabilities make him a perfect fit for this role.

"I've been taught by a lot of great men, and I have a whole lot of resources and a lot of knowledge of my brain. The most important piece: I'm just going to be myself," he said. "That's the most important piece I've been getting from a lot of my my peers, a lot of my former coaches: 'Deion, you're ready for this. Just be yourself. Don't try to go in and do anything no difference from somebody else. Be yourself, and that's all you can do.'

"One thing I pride myself on is being able to lead men. That's probably my most important piece. I can sit in a room and I can chit chat with each and every last one of these guys. But the most important piece that I pride myself on is leading these guys. I think anybody can stand in front of you and give an amazing 'rah-rah' speech, but can that person lead men? That's me, and that's what I stand for."

Sure, there is going to be a little bit of a learning curve/adjustment period. Branch noted that prior to his Tuesday press conference, he had left a two-hour meeting where they went over "85-90 plays," and that they gone over 100 more the day before. While it will take some time for Branch to be fully acclimated, Brohm doesn't think that'll be a problem for him.

"I just think going from being a great player to a really good, detailed coach, doesn't happen overnight," Brohm said. "You got to understand it's going to be a little more time consuming. You're going to have a lot of players at your position that need a lot of attention, and time, and effort, and you got to be willing to do that. Then, of course, then you got to continue to recruit and do those things, which are very time time consuming. Any new coach has to understand all those things are going to have to take place if you want to be successful, and that requires a lot of effort and time."

(Photo of Deion Branch: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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