Advertisement Jurich says he'll move quickly to replace Strong Louisville head football coach Charlie Strong heading to Texas Share Shares Copy Link Copy

University of Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich said he will move quickly to replace departing head football coach Charlie Strong, who has been hired as the new head coach of the University of Texas football team.Raw video: Tom Jurich addresses mediaJurich and Strong met for about an hour on Saturday night, where Strong informed Jurich he was leaving for the University of Texas.Jurich said it was a great talk and he wanted Strong to know what a great job he did at the university.In a press conference on Sunday, Jurich said Strong had made up his mind before the meeting, but was upfront with him and never did anything behind his back.Jurich said he wants to hire a long-term coach for the university, someone who looks at Louisville as a destination job.He said the job is wide open and he hasn't talked to any candidates, but he wants to make a quick move to replace Strong."I just want to get the best person who fits the University of Louisville the best," Jurich said.Strong earned $3.7 million this past season with the Cardinals. He will receive a five-year, $5 million-a-year contract at Texas.Strong was 37-15 in four years with the Cardinals, including a 3-1 record in bowl games.He replaces Mack Brown. Texas went 8-5 this season, ending it with a 30-7 loss to Oregon in the Alamo Bowl.UofL students reacted to Strong's departure Sunday. Most who spoke to WLKY are happy for him."We are going to be in good condition regardless of who is coaching. We have a really good team, a solid team to play with next year. So it will be really interesting to watch," said Gage Mertz."I'm disappointed. He definitely did a lot for the program. He's really changed the city of Louisville itself," said John Meldrum."He came to Louisville when it wasn't as strong. He built up the team. They did awesome the last couple of years, and now he's going to Texas to build that team up," said Gabi Bidenhara."I really appreciate what he did with our program. It means a lot. I think he left us in a good place, but I wish he would have stayed," said Quenitin Woolfolk.At one point Sunday, there was a homemade banner on the Student Activities Center that read, "Bring back Bobby," an apparent reference to former coach Bobby Petrino, who is now at Western Kentucky.Jurich said he wants a replacement who will build on what Strong has done at the university. Sources tell WLKY possible replacements for Strong include Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin.Other names to consider are Cards offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and Petrino.