Jon Gruden has interest in college football coaching jobs

Dec 22, 2019; Carson, California, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden reacts before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Gruden confirmed he is open to coaching at the college level as he remains exiled from the NFL.

Gruden said in a new interview that he would welcome the chance to coach a college team if any were interested. He even added he has been working to learn the intricacies of the college game, including things like recruiting and the transfer portal that NFL coaches do not have to deal with.

“Yeah, I’m interested in coaching,” Gruden told Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports. “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.

“If there’s somebody out there that thinks they need a candidate, somebody to come in there, maybe lather it up a little bit, jazz it up a little bit, I’ll be down here in Tampa. I’ll be ready to go if needed.”

Gruden remains toxic in the NFL after he was fired following the 2021 leak of offensive emails, which got him fired from the Las Vegas Raiders. Gruden believes the NFL had something to do with the leak, and has taken the league to court over it. There have been some links to college jobs in the past, but no schools have ever showed genuine interest, and major programs would likely shy away from him.

Gruden did get his start in coaching in college as a graduate assistant and position coach, but has not worked at that level since the 1980s.