Are we about to live in a world where Jon Gruden is coaching in the SEC?! Well, that is what he wants to do. The disgraced former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has somewhat reinvented himself as a sports personality for Barstool Sports ever since his second stint with the Silver and Black hit the fan due to an email scandal. He recently visited Athens to see it.
Gruden saw first-hand what makes Georgia so great under Kirby Smart. Although he and I and everyone knows that Gruden will never be leading an elite program like Georgia in the final stages of his coaching profession, he just wanted to see what the gold standard of football excellence looks like in the SEC. In a weird way, I think Gruden could be a good fit culturally in the SEC at the right job.
He spoke about his recent trip to Athens, coming away with profound observations from the visit.
"The only reason I really came here is I want to coach again. I'm being honest with you, I do not b******t either. I want to coach again. I'd die to coach in the SEC. I would love it."
Georgia has not lost a game at home since before COVID, but Gruden wants to beat UGA in Athens.
"I came to Georgia, because this is what I want to see. I sit there, and I fantasize. I'm fantasizing out there on the field. I said, 'Man, I wish I was coaching against the SEC. I want to come to Georgia. Between the Hedges. And I'm fantasizing about going up against Kirby Smart. I'm an offensive coach, you see. I'm over there fantasizing about coming down here and beating Georgia. That's what I'm fantasizing about."
This last part stuck with me the most from his comments. Gruden really misses the competition...
"Listen, whether you like it or not, you are the whole measuring stick that I measure my career on as a head coach. Everyone on your schedule is looking at you as the measuring stick. They've all got dreams of coming in here and making a name for themselves."
In the event that some SEC school says yes to him, here are five that I think could have interest in him.
5. Florida Gators
I could go either way with Billy Napier leading Florida. I did not think he deserved to be fired at any point last year. The Gators' schedule was simply unforgiving. I would argue Napier not only rose to the occasion, but helped elevate his team. Clearly, that was reflected by the Gators being an obvious inclusion in the Preseason AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls. But what if it hits the fan for him this year?
There are other programs that I could see as better fits for Gruden than the Gators, but I think they would at least consider him. After all, their two greatest head coaches in program history are incredibly polarizing people in Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. I think Gruden would be able to recruit there, but this is a far more difficult job than anyone gives it credit for. It devours great coaches alive!
Though I can see him wearing a blue polo shirt on the sidelines, this would not be the right job for him.
4. Auburn Tigers
Auburn is a very similar job to that of Florida. You can win national titles there, but the programs are far more chaotic than even they would want to admit. Auburn has a track record of hiring less-than-stellar individuals to lead their teams, so Gruden would not be out of place down on The Plains. However, I think it would still be a very hard sell to the boosters to hire him should Hugh Freeze fail.
I would argue that if Gruden were to ever become a great college football coach, it would be a place like Auburn. The resources to win big are ever-present. You can get the best of the rest from Alabama, Florida and Georgia to come play for your team. My concern is the program has not had a quality season for its standard in nearly a decade. 2017 feels like a lifetime ago. Do they want to go there?
I could see Auburn hiring coaches like Eliah Drinkwitz, Lane Kiffin, Matt Rhule and Deion Sanders first.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
I am utterly fascinated by what could happen this season for the Oklahoma Sooners. Head coach Brent Venables is on or near the hot seat. He has completely overhauled his offensive coaching staff, but the team faces as hard of a schedule as Florida does in the country. Even more concerning, long-time athletic director Joe Castiglione is stepping aside after this academic year. Will a change come?
For Gruden to be the guy at Oklahoma, it comes down entirely to who Castiglione hires as his successor. With OU losing brand authority by switching leagues last year, the Sooners need a head coach who can cut through like their coaching legends of years past could do so effortlessly. I think Oklahoma would prefer to hire guys they know, like Josh Heupel or Jeff Lebby first, but this may work.
Oklahoma is not experiencing what Colorado was before Deion Sanders, but the vibes do feel similar.
2. Kentucky Wildcats
Mark Stoops may be the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC, but I do not feel he is long for Kentucky. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart is seeing the benefits on the hardwood of moving on from John Calipari in favor of Mark Pope. Gruden is more of a Calipari lightning rod more than anything, but UK has become bland oftentimes toothless on offense under Stoops. Gruden could fix that for them.
At the very least, Gruden could ignite more passion out of the Kentucky boosters to help prop up the football team even more. This is the one program in the league that was hurt the most by divisions going away. The Wildcats need something to counterbalance that should the Stoops era have run its corse in Lexington. I think they want their former player and coach Jon Sumrall far more than Gruden.
Should Sumrall say no and go to another job away from Tulane, Gruden might be a viable candidate.
1. Arkansas Razorbacks
If there is any job in the SEC that I think could open up and be a semi-realistic landing spot for Gruden, it would have to be the Arkansas Razorbacks. For as likable as Sam Pittman is as their head coach, he does not win enough to merit being anything more than a year-to-year proposition for the Hogs. He is always on the hot seat. The fact he no longer recruits at a high level is very concerning.
Because Arkansas is different, as well as having so many eccentric, big-pocketed boosters, I could see Gruden learning how to say "Woo Pig Sooie!" through a Chucky-esque smirk. This is a program that hired Bobby Petrino, twice... There is no shame. John Calipari is the men's basketball coach. It is the alma mater of John Daly. Against all odds, Gruden can get the Hogs back to Houston Nutt levels.
I cannot wait to see him add fire to their big rivalries with Missouri, LSU, Texas A&M, and mostly Texas.