Report: Cincinnati 'Expected' to Hire Louisville QB Coach Pete Thomas
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Yet another Louisville football assistant coach is set to follow Scott Satterfield to Cincinnati.
Quarterbacks coach Pete Thomas, one of just two current position coaches to be on Satterfield's staff in all four of his years as the head coach of the Cardinals, is "expected" to join the Bearcats in some capacity, according to a report from The Athletic's Bruce Feldman.
Defensive coordinator Bryan Brown, the other current position coach that was a constant fixture of Satterfield's staff, is also going up I-71 to Cincinnati.
Thomas joined Satterfield from Appalachian State, and he spent the first two years at Louisville as an offensive quality control coach before being elevated to quarterbacks coach ahead of the 2021 season. That year, starting quarterback Malik Cunningham had arguably his best season in college, completing 62.0 percent of his passes for a career-high 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns to six interceptions. Cunningham also rushed for 1,031 yards and 20 touchdowns, both of which were career-highs.
Cunningham did regress some in 2022, completing 62.4 percent of his passes, but for just 1,568 yards and eight touchdowns and five interceptions. However, backup quarterback Brock Domann had flashes of brilliance, going 2-1 as a starter when Cunningham went down due to various injuries. Domann completed 53.7 percent of his passes for 866 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Most importantly, Thomas played a crucial role in assembling Louisville's top-20 2023 recruiting class. Due to his Southern California ties as a native of San Diego, he was the primary recruiter for Louisville commits Pierce Clarkson, DeAndre Moore Jr., Aaron Williams, Jahlil McClain and Jamari Johnson. The former three are composite four-star recruits, with Moore being a top-100 prospect.
Thomas is the third assistant coach to depart the program following Satterfield's move to the Bearcats. On top of Brown leaving for UC, co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Wesley McGriff also left for Auburn.
Offensive coordinator Lance Taylor also recently "emerged" as the front runner for the head coaching job at Western Michigan, and head strength and conditioning coach Ben Sowders left for the same position at Arkansas this past weekend.
The Cardinals finished the regular season at 7-5, and 4-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Louisville, ironically, will face Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 11:00 a.m. EST.
(Photo of Pete Thomas via University of Louisville Athletics)
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