Nov 10, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view of the Tennessee Volunteers logo on the field prior to the game against the Missouri Tigers at Neyland Stadium. Missouri defeated Tennessee 51-48 in quadruple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE
As soon as the Tennessee Volunteers had announced that head coach Derek Dooley had been relieved of his duties, the coaching carousel rumors began to link former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden to the job opening.
While it was a fun few days discussing Gruden and his possible journey in to the Southeastern Conference, it appears that Gruden had never seriously considered leaving his cozy job in the Monday Night Football booth.
Gruden’s agent, Bob LaMonte, said that the speculation of his client joining the Vols was a “just a fantasy world.”
“He just said there had been a lot of rumors and he just wanted to clear the air,” LaMonte said. “I said, ‘Thank you for the call. I appreciate it.’ He said thank you and that was it.”
In fact, LaMonte stated that he never spoke with Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart.
“I don’t know Dave Hart. I’d never met him or talked to him.”
If Gruden is not looking to make a move to the college coaching ranks, then what can we expect the hot coaching candidate’s next move to be?
“Jon has made it clear he’s committed to ESPN,” LaMonte said.
For now, Gruden will remain with his ESPN job, but you would have to believe he will give a head coaching opportunity more consideration when the NFL comes calling.
