Jon Gruden with the Jacksonville Jaguars
© Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Former NFL coach Jon Gruden is open to a return to the sidelines. More specifically, he’d like to find a job in college football with an SEC program.
He’s pondered the idea in the past but never pulled the trigger. His thinking has since shifted. The changing landscape across the sport plays a significant role in that outlook.
Gruden started his career at the college ranks as a grad assistant with Tennessee. He made stops at Southeast Missouri State, Pacific, and Pitt before moving onto the NFL.
That decision ultimately paid dividends as he led the Tampa Bay Bucs to a Super Bowl in 2002. He’s since left the field to assume a role at Barstool Sports but admitted he’s open to coaching again.
Jon Gruden wants to be in the SEC.
“I’m being honest with you,” he said in YouTube video taken at the University of Georgia. “I want to coach again. I’d die to coach in the SEC. I would love it.”
Interestingly enough, he’s been connected to an SEC program in the past. He was twice considered for an opening at the University of Tennessee.
He opened up on those vacancies earlier this year.
“When I was doing Monday Night Football, there were some serious talks [with Tennessee],” he said. “I just wasn’t ready to do college football… I really felt if I had become the head coach here at Tennessee, I probably would have got in all kinds of trouble with recruiting — because I want to get all the best players.
“I wasn’t ready for it. But I had talked to Peyton (Manning) and Kenny Chesney — some of my favorite Volunteers. Sometimes I look back on my life wondering what would’ve happened. But I stuck with the NFL, I wanted to stick in the NFL… I never pulled the trigger to get in with the Orange, but I’m still their biggest fan.”
Jon Gruden’s name was thrown around in both the 2012 and 2017 coaching searches in Knoxville. He wasn’t ready to move to the college level.
Recruiting played a major role. With NIL now legal, his mindset has shifted.
Cheating is now legal!
Paying players is the new norm in college football. Tampering is rampant with addition of the transfer portal. Recruiting practices that were once frowned upon are now encouraged.
Schools and donors are opening up their checkbooks to land talent. Rosters are rumored to cost $20 million and more.
College football is becoming more like the NFL. Gruden is familiar with the professional model given his 20+ years as an assistant or head coach.
The recent changes have piqued Gruden’s interest. He’s open to a college gig. Who will hire him?
Where will Jon Gruden end up?
Gruden wants to be in the SEC. Tennessee appears to be a longshot at this point in time. They’ve experienced incredible success under Josh Heupel.
With that said, there are others in the conference that could be in the market for a new leader very soon.
Sam Pittman is on the hot seat at Arkansas. He’s gone 30-31 across five seasons in Fayetteville.
Jeff Lebby is fresh off a 2-10 debut at Mississippi State. Should he be unable to turn things around quickly, he might see his tenure end quickly.
Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Brent Venables (Oklahoma), Mark Stoops (Kentucky), and Billy Napier (Florida) have all been ID’d as hot seat candidates, too.
Gruden comes with some baggage, but his name certainly provides a buzz. He’d be a splashy hire for an SEC team.
Will one take a chance now that he’s voiced his desire to join the league? It seems like a bit of a longshot but seeing coaches like Deion Sanders and Bill Belichick roam the college sidelines, it’s far from an impossibility.