The concerns follow Dave Kragthorpe all the way back to his hometown of Logan, Utah."People come up to me and say, 'Your son's in some pretty deep water now,' " he said. His son is Steve Kragthorpe, who will open his first season as the University of Louisville's head football coach tonight against Murray State. And, it's safe to say, he'll be swimming in a whole different sea.
The 42-year-old Kragthorpe worked miracles the past four seasons at Tulsa, but there's no need to turn water into wine at U of L. The challenge here might be tougher: taking a program already near the top even higher.
The team he inherits went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl last season and is ranked 10th this preseason. Fans and players are talking about a national championship. Anything less than another BCS game might be viewed as a disappointment.
But Kragthorpe insists the task ahead feels no different than the 51 games he coached at Tulsa. Or when he was calling plays at Texas A&M. Or when he was supporting a wife and young son on an $8,000 salary at Northern Arizona.
Those who know him don't think the pressure of expectations will affect him. He might be new to this level as a head coach, but his history suggests he won't be in over his head.
"Somebody had to come in here and follow Bobby (Petrino)," athletic director Tom Jurich said. "I don't think anybody in the country is more equipped to take that on than Steve."
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