Western Kentucky will promote offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm to replace departed coach Bobby Petrino, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

This will be Brohm's first head-coaching position, after spending one year as the Hilltoppers' assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Brohm also previously served as Louisville quarterbacks coach from 2003 to 2006 under Petrino, who returned to the Cardinals as coach Thursday and offered an endorsement of Brohm.

"I believe he is," Petrino said Thursday on whether Brohm was ready to be a head coach, according to the Daily News. "That was one of the things when Jeff came to Western from UAB that we talked about. My recruiting process of him was getting ready to be a head coach. He had said to me, 'I now know I want to be, and that I'm going to be, a head coach. I would appreciate you helping me with everything you can do to get ready for that.' We've been working hard at it, and he's extremely ready for it."

Brohm, 42, joined Western Kentucky from UAB, where he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He also was quarterbacks coach at Florida Atlantic and Illinois, as well as assistant head coach for the passing game and offensive coordinator at Louisville.

A Louisville native, Brohm played quarterback for the Cardinals from 1989 to 1993 and appeared in eight games over a seven-year NFL career.

Brohm will be Western Kentucky's third coach in as many seasons.