Jon Gruden rumors surface for 1 college job
Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden takes the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jon Gruden does not seem like he will be making a return to coaching in the near future, but another round of rumors surfaced this week linking him to a specific college job.
South Florida fired head coach Jeff Scott this week after he led the team to a 4-26 record over three seasons. Zac Blobner, co-host of the “The Jay and Z Show” on 95.3 WDAE in Tampa, said Monday that he was told Gruden is USF’s first choice for their head coaching vacancy.
BREAKING: Sources tell me the #USF job is Jon Gruden's if he wants it (1A) & a couple Bulls Boosters are ready to write the check now…
FAMU HC Willie Simmons is 1B
Bulls expected to put in a call to Scott Frost too if Gruden declines@953WDAE @JayAndZWDAE
— ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ (@ZacOnTheMic) November 7, 2022
That meshes with another rumor from JP Peterson, who hosts “The JP Peterson Show” on FanStreamSports.com. He claimed he was told by multiple sources that Gruden is close with some USF boosters and is interested in the job.
I spoke with 2 people very close to the @USFFootball program and also friends with Jon Gruden and I can confirm Gruden Definitely has interest in the USF job. Gruden is very close to many USF boosters. Obviously there are many hurdles to overcome politically. Thoughts? #Gruden pic.twitter.com/tSRxaGMxww
— JP Peterson (@FanStreamJP) November 7, 2022
We tend to doubt it. Gruden probably wants to coach again, but he has not worked at the collegiate level since he was the tight ends coach at the University of the Pacific in 1989. It also seems unlikely that USF or any other college program would hire Gruden right now and deal with the criticism that would come along with the move.
Gruden, 58, resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders last year after numerous emails he sent from his personal account to an NFL executive were leaked to a few media outlets. The emails, which were written between 2011-2018, contained gay slurs and other inappropriate content. He is now suing the NFL for allegedly selectively releasing emails to force him out of his job.
Gruden joked a few months ago that he would love to take one particular college job. He will probably have to wait a while longer before he gets back into coaching.
