Tennessee to hire Greg Schiano, who is not Jon Gruden
By Josh Hill
Tennessee is hiring a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, just not the one who won a Super Bowl.
Fans in Knoxville have been clamoring for a former Buccaneers coach to become the program’s next head coach. A former Bucs coach is going to be putting pen to paper, it’s just not the one everyone was clamoring for.
In an attempt to emerge from the Butch Jones era, the Tennessee Volunteers are trying to find a quick fix that will double as the coach who can bring back the glory days. Many thought that person would be ESPN analyst and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.
According to Dan Wolken, the Vols have settled on Greg Schiano as the head coach the school thinks can fix the program.
In case you didn’t know, Greg Schiano is not Jon Gruden. They’re different people. Gruden — for the second time in five years — will not be named the head coach in Knoxville.
As exciting a name as Gruden is, he was never going to coach Tennessee. It would have taken all of five minutes for him to commit some recruiting violation and there has been nothing in his coaching history to suggest he’d either want to or be good at coaching college football.
Vols fans should see the error in desiring the wrong guy. Gruden is a Hall of Fame head coach in the NFL, while Schiano’s only success has come at the college level. He’s the right guy for the job, especially when compared to the person everyone wanted for the job.
Of the two former Bucs coaches the Vols could have hired, they grabbed the right one for the circumstance.
Schiano not only brings a winning college legacy with him to Knoxville but he also brings Ohio State clout. There’s a chance the Buckeyes play for and possibly win another national championship this year, which is a big time badge for Schiano to flash to recruits.
Look, this is happening. We can dog on Schiano for days about what a garbage hire this might be but the fact of the matter is this is a reality. The Vols are making their bed with Schiano and fans will have to get on board.
Tennessee missed on Gruden, but to be upset about that is the wrong move. He was never ever going to come to Knoxville, and the prize Tennessee landed could be exactly the guy they needed.