LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As the roster turnover continues at Louisville, head coach Jeff Brohm is also shuffling the coaching staff, naming two co-defensive coordinators and welcoming a pair of familiar faces back into the fold.
Brohm announced this week that veteran assistants Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis will share defensive coordinator responsibilities in 2026, with Ivey leading the defensive line and Ellis overseeing the secondary.
They replace defensive coordinator Ron English, who stepped away for a year to watch his son play football at Navy. Defensive line coach Mark Hagan also left the program.
For Ivey, it won't be his first time calling defensive plays. He stepped in as coordinator when Scott Satterfield's staff left to lead the Louisville defense in the 2022 Fenway Bowl.
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"Mark Ivey is going to be co-defensive coordinator, running the defensive line," Brohm said during his offseason news conference. "Steve Ellis is going to be co-defensive coordinator running the secondary, really in charge of the corners on the defensive side of the ball."
Both coaches are well-established within the program. Ivey, entering his seventh season at Louisville, previously coached the defensive line and linebackers. He has mentored several standouts, including 2024 tackles leader T.J. Quinn and All-ACC lineman Ashton Gillotte. Prior to Louisville, Ivey spent seven seasons at Appalachian State, where he served as interim head coach in a 2018 New Orleans Bowl win.
Ellis, meanwhile, brings two decades of FBS experience and has quickly made an impact in his two years at Louisville, coaching NFL draft picks Quincy Riley and Jarvis Brownlee. Before joining Brohm's staff, Ellis helped East Carolina produce one of the nation's most productive secondaries.
"Those two guys are just really excellent coaches and great team players," Brohm said. "They're hungry, they work hard, they're great with the players. We're going to build on what we've done and continue to find ways to be more aggressive and disruptive on defense."
Joining them on the defensive staff is Jontavius Morris, a former Louisville quality control assistant and Brohm protégé who returns after a year coaching defensive ends at Louisiana Monroe. Morris, a former UAB and Western Kentucky defensive tackle, will now assist with Louisville's interior defensive line.
On the offensive side, Brohm also announced the return of longtime assistant Paul Petrino, who will coach tight ends and serve as a senior offensive assistant. It marks Petrino's third stint with the Cardinals.
"Coach Petrino brings a wealth of knowledge. He lives it, breathes it," Brohm said. "He's done a great job already this past month. He'll bring experience and will definitely add value to our offensive staff."
Petrino, a longtime assistant to his brother Bobby, previously served as Louisville's offensive coordinator during one of the most prolific stretches in school history (2003–06), including the 2004 team that led the nation in scoring. He also brings head coaching experience from a nine-year run at Idaho and has spent time in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
Brohm noted that additional defensive staff hires are expected but not yet finalized. For now, the reshuffled core group will be tasked with building on a defense that ranked among the ACC's best in 2025.
"We have a good system in place that will stay in place," Brohm said. "We're always looking for ways to tweak it and get better, but we're on the same page as we move forward."
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