Deion Branch 'retires' from coaching after Louisville's Fenway Bowl win over Cincinnati

BOSTON — Deion Branch is going out on top.

In his first-ever head coaching job, Branch led Louisville’s football team to a 24-7 Fenway Bowl win over rival Cincinnati on Saturday at Fenway Park. Branch had no intentions of getting into coaching when he returned to Louisville in January to become the program’s director of player development but stepped up to the plate after Scott Satterfield left to be the Bearcats’ head coach.

While he’s more than happy to relinquish the reins of the program over to Jeff Brohm, the new Cardinals head coach, Branch reflected fondly on the last two weeks as the interim. He sympathizes with what the players dealt with but admires how they’ve handled it with the help of a makeshift coaching staff that largely included graduate assistants and quality control analysts.

"It's so hard for you to practice on Tuesday, you come in on a Wednesday to practice and next thing you know, the coach that was in the room on Tuesday, he's been plucked away on Wednesday," Branch said, "and then the same exact thing happens on a Thursday. You lose another coach, and then you lose another assistant coach. That's tough on these young men. I feel for them."

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U of L leaned on a cliché throughout the whirlwind of change: play for the guy next to you and your coaches. Defensive line coach Mark Ivey was one of only three coaches from Scott Satterfield’s staff to stay in Louisville and was rewarded when the unit posted a final dominant performance of the year. Louisville’s defense held Cincinnati, which was missing several key players, to only one touchdown in the second quarter, 1.4 yards per rush, 2.6 yards per play and a total of 138 offensive yards. The Bearcats were previously averaging 136.8 rushing yards per game and 392.8 total yards per outing.

Linebacker Monty Montgomery, the bowl’s defensive MVP who led the team in tackles with eight, credited Branch, defensive lineman Yaya Diaby and running back Jawhar Jordan, the offensive MVP, with helping to keep everyone together amid an uncertain time.

"They're great leaders, and the way that they had the program set up was amazing, honestly," Montgomery said. "It was an easy (transition) from Satt leaving to Deion. It wasn't really like a downhill run. It was a good (transition)."

Branch also commended the coaching staff, which included tight ends coach and Saturday’s play-caller Josh Stepp and inside linebacker Greg Gasparato, for helping to keep the players locked in. During the weekend, Branch has continuously advocated for college programs to hire them.

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"Right now, when coaches start transitioning and moving and going different places, you kind of leave these other guys in limbo," said Branch, who was back in Boston for the first time after winning two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots (2002-05, 2010-12). "I hope that these guys end up landing somewhere because they deserve it."

As far as Branch’s coaching trajectory goes, he’s content going back to his role as Louisville football’s director of player development starting Sunday. Still, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyable experience he had in a career he never intended on pursuing.

"I'm pretty sure I'll get some phone calls to become some sort of head coach at some point," Branch said. "But I think as of right now, I'm enjoying, I'm relishing in the moment. And yeah, as of now I'm retired."

Follow Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Deion Branch 'retires' after Louisville tops Cincinnati in Fenway Bowl