Jon Gruden hears his name mentioned when just about any high-profile head coaching position opens up. With Mack Brown recently announcing that he is stepping down, Texas will soon have such a vacancy.
According to Orangebloods.com, Gruden may be interested in coaching the Longhorns. While it is certainly premature to say that the former NFL head coach would give up his career as an ESPN analyst, Gruden is reportedly “open to hearing from the Texas athletic department.”
Gruden was previously linked to the Houston Texans after Gary Kubiak was fired, though a follow-up report indicated the Texans are not interested in trying to hire the 50-year-old. A source reportedly told Orangebloods.com that the Texas job is one of the few Gruden would consider, as he believes it is one of the “premiere” jobs in the nation.
“It’s Austin, it’s not like any other city in Texas or anywhere, really,” the source said. “It’s a destination, but with the state capitol, the university, the politics and the media, it’s the eye of a hurricane. (James) Franklin, (Jim) Mora, they’re are great coaches – but stepping into this sort of situation for the first time? You’re going to have limited success.”
It still seems unlikely that Gruden would leave ESPN, given the success he has head since joining the Monday Night Football broadcast crew. We hear the same stories about teams contacting him every year, and the result has been identical for the last five or six years.
“It’s no secret that every major position that comes open stirs Gruden rumors,” Orangebloods.com’s source added. “The reason why the talks never go anywhere is because there are definitely two, maybe three, situations he’s always said he would have to listen to. When Texas calls, you gotta listen.”
Time will tell if that is the way Gruden feels or simply the way a source who is supposedly familiar with the situation feels. What we do know is Texas could offer Gruden plenty of money. He’d almost certainly be one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
