Jon Gruden is definitely making a name for himself on the media circuit, currently working for Barstool Sports. But you have to think that he would love to coach again, and the Tennessee Volunteers could be calling his name.
Joe Rexrode of The Athletic has named Gruden among the 25 most interesting people to watch in college football heading into 2025, and he surmises that the former NFL coach could ultimately make the jump to the SEC.
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“He just said he’d ‘die to coach in the SEC,’ so an on-campus opportunity seems most likely for a guy who hasn’t been in college football since he coached receivers for Paul Hackett at Pitt in 1991,” Rexrode wrote. “Oklahoma? LSU? Arkansas? Tennessee, gratifying the fans who have been most obsessed with him over the years, say after Josh Heupel leaves to take the Oklahoma job? Let’s get the speculation cooking.”
Heupel has experienced considerable success since taking over as Volunteers head coach in 2021, going 37-15 and most recently leading them to the College Football Playoff. Sure, they got smacked by Ohio State, but who didn’t last winter?
The thing is, Heupel played quarterback at Oklahoma and put together some terrific years for the Sooners, so it stands to reason that he may want to return to his alma mater, especially with Brent Venables struggling mightily since assuming his post as Oklahoma head coach in 2022.
Should Heupel decide to leave Tennessee, you can bet that Gruden’s name will be connected to the Vols, and it would not be the least bit surprising if he expressed interest.
Even if Gruden seems perfectly content with his media career, coaching is in his blood, and he is unquestionably good at it.
The 61-year-old famously led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl championship back during the 2002-03 NFL campaign and logged four double-digit win seasons in a span of six years between 2000 and 2005 with the Oakland Raiders and the Buccaneers.
Gruden spent two stints with the Raiders overall, but has not coached in the NFL since 2021.
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Seeing Gruden on the collegiate level — where he has never held a head-coaching job — would certainly be interesting, and a big SEC school would be absolutely perfect for his equally big personality.
Of course, until some movement actually happens as far as Tennessee’s coaching staff is concerned, all of this is nothing more than conjecture at this point. It’s definitely fun to think about, though.
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