The world of college football is going to be blessed again. After all, former Las Vegas Raiders HC Jon Gruden has made up his mind to make a return. The HC had been gracing the NFL for quite some time now since 2021. But not anymore. The Super Bowl-winning coach is looking for a new beginning. And what’s a better place than where he started his journey?
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In recent times, Gruden has been embroiled in legal woes after getting involved in old email leak hoopla. In case he confirms his return to college football, dedicating himself to mentoring young talent, it will be a recruiting evolution in itself. And what are his potential landing spots?
Jon Gruden trying hard to rebuild his trust
The 2024 season just kicked off. And guess who decided to spice things up? The ex-Raiders HC Gruden. He decided to break the silence as he talked to CBS Sports about his plans now that his good times have come to an ugly end with the NFL. Gruden started the interview with so much conviction when he said, “H- – – yeah, I’m interested in coaching.”
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College Football News: Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has reportedly expressed interest in returning to coaching college football, according to Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports.
This week, former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden spoke with CBS Sports in… pic.twitter.com/eyNcteWmPw
— Justin David Kish • Sports Journalist (@JustinDavidKish) September 20, 2024
He has been clever enough to turn this interview into a ‘flaunt myself’ game. He dropped enough hints for the programs and how they would crack the secret code to success by hiring him. “I know I can help a team, I know I can help young players get better, and I know I can hire a good staff, and that’s the only thing I can guarantee,” Gruden came up with the big promise.
But why did he decide to stoop from the NFL status and now is open to “coaching at any level?” Poor Gruden! He got entangled in a leaked email drama that revealed how he resorted to racist language to describe DeMaurice Smith, the NFL Players Association executive director. However, when it comes to recruiting talents, programs will turn a blind eye toward Gruden’s NFL fallout.
Jon Gruden’s chances in the college football landscape
Going by the current situation, the program that is in most need of an HC revamp is Florida Gators. They already have readied the $27.7 million to let go of their current HC Billy Napier. However, things are not going to be smooth for Gruden to get entry in Florida. As per the reports, an anonymous group of 5 AD stands in the way of the team up. The soup that the Gators had landed in, is in dire need of someone with the Power Conference experience.
To break your bubble, Gruden doesn’t have any besides a year as a GA at Tennessee and a year at Pittsburgh as a receivers coach. But who really cares when you have not one, not two, but TWELVE years of head coaching experience in the NFL? While Florida is out of the ‘Pursuing Gruden’ race, the next program in line is Arkansas. Now that they have already done the unthinkable by bringing back Bobby Petrino as their OC, they may also come up with a similar plan of returning Gruden.
Amidst this Colorado Buffaloes condition is quite concerning. With the Buffs’ chances to finish around .500 and Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders moving into the NFL, chances reign supreme for Deion Sanders to leave. In case so happens, will Jon Gruden find himself a spot among the Gold Jackets in Boulder that boasts about their 127 years of NFL experience?
While you look for the answer, you can take a look at the ES Think Tank, which explores hot topics like NIL and how the NFL season is going.
Written by
Edited by
Jagriti Choudhry