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Jon Gruden expresses interest in return to coaching, taking CFB job
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Jon Gruden would like to coach football again. He told CBS Sports that after years of coaching in the NFL, he’s interested in taking a college job.
In 2021, Gruden had numerous personal emails leaked to the media. The emails, from 2011-18 when Gruden was an ESPN analyst, led to Gruden being called racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Facing scandal, Gruden resigned as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gruden has not coached a team since October 2021 resignation. He has sued the NFL, alleging the emails were leaked by the league to force his ouster. In 2023, Gruden was a consultant for the New Orleans Saints.
Since his resignation, Gruden has largely avoided the media, but opened up to CBS Sports for a lengthy profile. He talked about his desire to coach again, and expressed interest in taking a job in the college ranks.
“Yeah, I’m interested in coaching,” Gruden told Brandon Marcello. “My dad was a college coach, I was a college coach at Pitt, my wife was a cheerleader at Tennessee when I met her. Hell yeah, I’m interested in coaching. 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. But yeah, I’m very interested in coaching at any level, period.”
Jon Gruden wants to get back in the game.
In his first interview since offensive emails led to his messy exit with the Las Vegas Raiders, Gruden tells @CBSSports he wants to coach again — and this time as a college football coach.
Exclusive: https://t.co/Fa46O4pdUh pic.twitter.com/MVrUHQ3GhZ
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 18, 2024
Marcello talked to various college athletic administrators about Gruden’s chances of getting hired. Fans should probably not expect to see Gruden on the sidelines at a Power conference program next year.
“If I was in the market right now, would I interview Jon Gruden? Yeah, probably,” an anonymous athletic director at the Group of 5 level told Marcello. “There’d be no reason not to. Now, if I was at Florida, no, I’m not doing that. It’s not the right fit, right time. A lot of that depends on the right job. One of the things with a Group of 5 [school] is you can take a more calculated risk.”
To that end, an SEC school administrator called Gruden “untouchable” as a coaching candidate.
Beyond the baggage from the scandal, Gruden would also face questions about how he would handle today’s college football landscape with NIL and the transfer portal.
Gruden has limited college experience. He was a Tennessee grad assistant in 1986 and ’87. He was the passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State in 1988 before coaching tight ends at Pacific in 1989. From 1990-2008, he coached in the NFL, returning to the league with the Raiders in 2018.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
