Jon Gruden is reaching out to people who he knows and trusts in order to gauge their interest in joining a potential coaching staff to take over Tennessee, according to Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Stephen Hargis.

Hargis joined The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday to discuss an article he wrote for the Times Free Press detailing what he knows about the Tennessee coaching search and the potential of Gruden becoming the Volunteers’ next coach.

The article sent shock waves across Knoxville on Wednesday morning.

Former UT Chattanooga athletic director David Blackburn was quoted as saying that he still occasionally communicates with Gruden, and noted, most importantly, that Gruden would at least listen to an offer to coach the Vols.

“I would definitely think he’s a viable option,” Blackburn said in the article. “He’s a guy who loves coaching and loves Tennessee.”

Good news for Vols fans, perhaps.