LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Yes, he’s been on the radio. He’s done some podcast interviews. But there was just something about seeing Vince Marrow standing in front of a Louisville backdrop — Cardinal pin on his shirt, red Gatorade in hand, trying to get used to throwing his “L” up — that snapped this remarkable rivalry plot twist into focus.
The Big Dog is now the Big Red Dog.
And it’s going to take a little getting used to — for everybody.
Not least of all Marrow himself, whose first official day on the job was Monday.
“I walked in and it was like being a kindergartner,” he said. “I was a little nervous because, you know, I was at the other school. But people just put their arms out, and they were very receptive. And so I’m fired up. I’m just fired up to work with the staff. I’m fired up to get started. And like I said, you better take this team really serious, because I look forward to the battles.”
Marrow’s move sent shockwaves up I-64 and caused tremors in football offices from Paintsville to Paducah. He’s traded Kentucky’s sideline for Louisville’s front office, taking on the role of Executive Director of Player Personnel and Scouting — a title as long as a Big Ten drive chart, but one that essentially means this: Louisville just poached Kentucky’s most valuable recruiter.
And Marrow — Ohio-raised, Saban-schooled, Stoops-loyal — isn’t easing into the role. He’s charging in like it’s third-and-short.
“You better be ready and prepared to deal with us now here at Louisville,” Marrow said. “Because I really believe we’re going to take this to another level. … That man sitting over there, I have a lot of respect for him.”
That man is Jeff Brohm — whom Marrow called “one of the top 10 coaches in the country.” For Brohm, this wasn’t just a recruiting hire. It was a statement.
Vince Marrow, who left as associated head coach at Kentucky, is greeted by Louisville coach Jeff Brohm after being introduced as Executive Director of Player Personnel and Scouting at Louisville on June 20, 2025.
Marrow didn’t leave a comfortable role for a cushy desk job. He walked away from a $1.3 million associate head coach position at Kentucky — the program he helped build from SEC afterthought to respectable contender — to jump aboard a Louisville program aiming for the playoff.
And he knows exactly what that move signals.
“I was not kicked out the door at the place up the street,” Marrow said. “It was just a situation to work with a good friend. … I really believe that Jeff can take this to another level, and I want to be a part of it.”
That wasn’t just a pitch. Well, all right, it was a pitch. But it also was a shot across Lexington’s bow — from a man with a stack of receipts.
This is the same Vince Marrow who built Kentucky’s Ohio pipeline like a foreman pouring concrete. Lynn Bowden. Benny Snell. Darrian Kinnard. Carrington Valentine. More than a decade of prospect-hauling, handshake-wielding, living-room-closing dominance in one of college football’s richest regions. He called it a “six-hour radius” approach.
Now that radius just changed colors.
And Brohm didn’t just add a recruiter. He eliminated a nemesis — the guy who came into Louisville and landed JJ Weaver and Izayah Cummings (who later transferred to U of L), snatched Jordan Dingle out of Bowling Green, and grabbed Octavious Oxendine from North Hardin. Not to mention Josh Paschal from Maryland and plenty more.
Brohm has long known what he needed.
He’s won with precision, with quarterbacks, with scheme. What he wanted was edge. Someone who walks into any high school coach’s office — or portal meeting — and immediately gets recognized. Someone who doesn’t blink when Michigan or Miami shows up. Someone who can link recruits with their NFL dreams. And someone who never stops selling.
“Me and Vince have been in touch for years,” Brohm said. “We’ve talked, run into each other numerous times, and there’s always been some banter. I just think it got to a point where now was the right time. He’s already fit in great, just in a week. And I think he’s really going to help us build this roster, build this team … and try to win at the highest level.”
Now the real work begins.
Marrow won’t coach tight ends anymore. In fact he won’t coach at all. But he’ll shape the next generation of Brohm recruits. He’ll scour tape, chase portal targets, grease visits, and sell the Brohm vision with every inch of his 6-foot-3 frame.
He likens his new role to the one Ozzie Newsome has done to great acclaim in Baltimore. Evaluating. Anticipating. Building. And after being courted by Harbaugh at Michigan, Belichick at North Carolina, and a host of others in between, Marrow now gets to draw up his own future.
“I watched Ozzie over the years,” Marrow said. “And I was surprised he got out of coaching … and went to the front office. But when you look at the Ravens, their last 10-12 drafts have been very effective. And Ozzie’s footprint was all over that. And you see all these other guys that came under this tree. They are winning other places. So, I thought about Ozzie, and I was like, ‘You know what? I'm coming to work for a good friend.’ I'm really excited to see where we going to go with this. … I believe in this guy. And I believe we’re about to do something big here.”
The Big Dog believes.
And now that he’s barking in red, the whole rivalry starts to sound different.
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