Louisville wants Kragthorpe to replace Petrino

[Jim Johnson]

From ESPN...

As expected, Louisville's search to replace Bobby Petrino appears destined to be short and narrowly focused.

Tulsa's Steve Kragthorpe is the choice, according to a source close to the negotiations. Pending a formal agreement and finalized details, he will be named this week.

Officials at both schools declined comment, but Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich is expected to fly to Tulsa Tuesday to meet with Kragthorpe. Jurich spent part of Monday afternoon meeting with the Louisville team and told the players they should expect to have a new coach quickly.

That will be important in Louisville's efforts to keep two star juniors, quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush, for one more year. Both are weighing decisions on whether to enter the NFL draft and could make announcements this week.

Another factor in the timing is recruiting. The Cardinals are expecting to have a large number of recruits on campus this weekend to attend the Louisville-Providence basketball game on Saturday, and they'd obviously like to have Kragthorpe signed, sealed and delivered in time to meet the recruits.

Jurich also met Monday morning with Bobby Petrino's brother, Paul, the Cardinals' offensive coordinator. Paul Petrino is not believed to be a candidate for the job, if only because of his family ties to the guy who just walked out with nine years left on a contract he signed in August.

It's believed Louisville also had some initial interest in UCLA's Karl Dorrell, but Kragthorpe is clearly the candidate of choice.

Jurich and Kragthorpe have roots at Northern Arizona together. Jurich was the athletic director there in the late 1980s and early '90s, and Kragthorpe was NAU's quarterbacks coach from 1990-94.

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