Jon Gruden not sprinkling a dash of controversy? Impossible. But this time it’s college football fans who are talking. Remember how, a couple of months ago, Gruden expressed his desire to return to coaching. “I want to coach again. I’d die to coach in the SEC. I would love it. I would f–king love it,” said the ex-Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. While Gruden’s wish is yet to materialize, he is now busy rating other football head coaches. On October 15, Gruden posted a top-5 list of head coaches he wanted to highlight on X.

The caption read, “Coaches often don’t get talked about positively enough…Here are 5 coaches we wanted to highlight for doing a GREAT job last week! @unlvfootball HC Dan Mullen @Giants HC Brian Daboll @Pitt_FB HC Pat Narduzzi @IndianaFootball HC Curt Cignetti @AtlantaFalcons DC Jeff Ulbrich.” While he was appreciating other colleagues, Gruden quietly missed mentioning Kirby Smart. And fans believe the omission wasn’t accidental.

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By leaving Smart off his top-5 list, he could be sidestepping any suggestion of favoritism. We’ll dive into that incident in detail shortly, but first, let’s delve into the reasoning behind Gruden’s rankings. At the top of his list, the one who first got a shoutout by Gruden was UNLV’s Dan Mullen. “Do you know they’re 6-0 after beating Air Force in an incredible come-from-behind victory? They got a quarterback, Anthony Calandria, that’s playing great, man,” shared Gruden, highlighting how the head coach brought some good luck in the UNLV camp. He then jumps off to the NFL, naming the New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

Gruden has made multiple NFL stops, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Green Bay Packers, among others. Even though he never made it to the Giants, he still landed his expert commentary on Daboll. Gruden hyped him up for being able to chart his course through quarterback struggles, “He deserves credit. Inserting his rookie, Jackson Dart, the Giants have won 2 out of 3. They beat the undefeated Chargers!”

Then it was his turn to praise his old mate, and the Pittsburgh Panthers head coach, Pat Narduzzi. Gruden then jumped back to college football with Indiana Hoosiers’ head coach, Curt Cignetti. And that was the end of college football head coaches on Gruden’s top five list, as he ended up by praising Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. For college football fans, they might be left with a feeling that Gruden’s list is incomplete without Kirby Smart. Now, let’s peel back to the situation that led to this omission.

Jon Gruden pays a heavy price for showing his loyalty

The hoopla started with one of Smart’s sideline gestures during Georgia’s face-off against Auburn. With just over 13 minutes remaining and the play clock ticking down, Smart looked like he was calling a timeout as Georgia trailed late. But after the game, he cleared the air; he wasn’t stopping the clock, he was stopping the clap. Auburn’s defense, he said, was mimicking Georgia’s snap count.

But already trolls started to mount for Smart. However, Gruden tried his best to safeguard the Georgia head coach against bashing, without realizing that he himself would be trolled. On the Wake Up Barstool podcast, Brandon Walker poked fun at Gruden’s blind trust and support for Smart. 

“He goes to Georgia for one offseason practice, Kirby Smart bats an eye at him, and Jon Gruden’s like, ‘Yayyyyy, Kirby Smart!’” said the analyst. The fact that Gruden became a die-hard Smart and Bulldogs fan with just one trip to Athens did not fit well with Walker. However, here made a mistake. Walker was not aware of the fact that  Gruden was still on the call. And how could one expect him to keep his lips zipped up even after being dragged through the mud? It was Gruden’s time to teach Walker a lesson through his sharp words. 

“You’re crying about who’s getting fired today instead of watching the Georgia Bulldogs, who’ll be playing for another national title right here in Georgia. Don’t you know that’s how they clap when they get a freaking touchdown?” the former Super Bowl-winning head coach fired back. So, after so much, had Jon Gruden named Kirby Smart in his top 5 list, he would have invited some ‘favoritism’ attacks his way.