Tennessee Vols: Some Jon Gruden Notes And Thoughts As UT Job Officially Opens

The Tennessee Vols are officially looking for their next head football coach.

Now that Butch Jones is officially out as the Tennessee Vols’ head football coach, the Jon Gruden rumors will begin to intensify.

Most college football analysts seem to think the idea of Gruden to Tennessee is absurd. A lot of them won’t even entertain the idea.

And I can understand their point to a certain degree. We’ve been going down this road with Gruden every off season since he was fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach.

But I think it would be a mistake to rule Gruden out simply because of that reason. Especially in regards to the Tennessee job, which he once called a “dream job”.

The biggest reason folks are not giving Gruden to Tennessee much of a chance is because of his current job with ESPN and the fact that the “general consensus” is that he’ll end up back in the NFL.

However, a report surfaced on Monday morning that suggests ESPN could force Gruden to take a “large pay cut”. If that’s the case, then he might decide this is right time to get back into coaching.

Most of the “general consensus” reports link Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Logistically it makes sense. I tend to think that the only two jobs Gruden would take would be the Tampa Bay job or the Tennessee job. He’s either going to live in East Tennessee where his wife’s entire family lives, or he’s going to live in Tampa, where he’s made his home for over 15 years and where his family currently lives.

One of the next questions is whether or not Tampa Bay would bring him back. The team hasn’t  changed owners since Gruden was fired in 2008. Would it make much sense to bring him back nearly 10 years later, while likely giving him a raise? And let’s not forget that it’s been widely reported that Gruden would want control of all personnel decisions. Is that something Tampa Bay would give him?

I honestly don’t think that will happen. Take a decade off, come back making more money, with a lot more control? Yeah, doesn’t seem likely.

(Not to get too much into this, but let’s not forget that fact that interest in the NFL has been slightly declining, while interest in the college games seems to continue to rise. I don’t know if that would be a factor in all of this or not, but it’s something worth thinking about.)

So that leaves either ESPN or Tennessee.

Gruden’s true passion is obviously coaching. And I think he enjoys it at any level. He makes it a point to visit with high school players/teams in cities where Monday Night Football takes place.

I think the guy just loves football.

But in college it’s more than just coaching.

Would the recruiting be a grind for him?

Probably, at least to a certain extent.

Gruden can recruit nation wide. His name is instantly recognizable. He can just be himself and attract elite athletes. He won’t have to fake it like a lot of coaches.

I know there are a lot of reasons why Gruden wouldn’t take the Tennessee job.

But it feels like there are just as many (if not more) reasons why he would take the job.

Gruden could cement his legacy as one of the best coaches of all time if he goes to Tennessee and kills it. He’d be a legend in Tennessee and in SEC country.

Who would you rather be? Nick Saban or John Harbaugh?

I think that’s an easy decision.

Next: The Smile Heard Round The World

It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks. I have no idea what Gruden will decide, but I wouldn’t write him off as an option at Tennessee just yet.