Sources: Bobby Petrino returns to Louisville

Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino during a 2011 game against Mississippi State in Little Rock.
Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino during a 2011 game against Mississippi State in Little Rock.

Former Arkansas head football coach Bobby Petrino has come full circle in his career, as Louisville has offered him its head coaching position again, multiple sources have reported.

SB Nation reported Wednesday that Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, Louisville Media and WKU Media have confirmed the university's offer and plans to introduce Petrino as the new head coach Thursday.

The Associated Press reported that Petrino had interviewed for the position Tuesday and was among several candidates for the job.

Petrino, 52, was head coach at Louisville from 2003-2006, where he was 49-9, before he briefly headed the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.

He was hired in 2008 as head coach at Arkansas, where he had a 34-17 career with the Razorbacks — including a 2-1 record in bowl games. Petrino was fired from the position April 10, 2012, after an April 1 motorcycle accident revealed an extramarital affair with a university employee, whom Petrino had hired, and after what Athletic Director Jeff Long described as a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

Eight months later, Petrino signed a four-year contract with Western Kentucky, which posted a 8-4 record this season.

His deal with the Hilltoppers comes with a base salary of $850,000 and requires a $1.2 million repayment to the school if he terminates the contract early, according to ESPN.

Petrino will replace Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong, who accepted the head coaching position at Texas.

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