Last Sunday, former Tennessee and Buccaneers running back Travis Stephens Instagrammed a video with former Bucs coach Jon Gruden. That’s fun, because Gruden’s been a reported Tennessee coaching target for years and years.
Do these visuals prove Jon Gruden’s finally interested in the Tennessee job? (LOL no, but we can talk this over again)
Fire up the Grumor Mill once more.
“Let’s go Tennessee Vols,” a smiling and then laughing Gruden says.
“This will get everybody going...lol...#grumors,” Stephens wrote.
That hashtag is also getting a bit of Twitter traction.
On Friday, this surfaced:
And then:
Does this mean Jon Gruden’s going to Tennessee?
No.
Why is this a thing that always comes up in the first place?
In the late ‘80s, Gruden spent two seasons as a Tennessee graduate assistant and has some other ties to the area. This weekend, MNF was in the state for Colts-Titans.
He’s a famous coach with a Super Bowl to his name, and Tennessee’s cycled through coaches such as Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley in its post-Phillip Fulmer years.
Has Tennessee fired Butch Jones yet?
No.
Would Gruden even want to go to Tennessee?
I don’t know. You look at this timeline and tell me:
- 2008: Gruden says taking Tennessee job isn’t in his future, by ESPN.
- 2010: Jon Gruden turns down Tennessee’s advances, by the Sporting News.
- 2012: Jon Gruden tells Vols he’s not interested in coaching position, by CBS Sports.
Gruden has a pretty good job now, doesn’t he?
Yep! Gruden is surely well-paid for his job as an ESPN analyst. He has the booth on Monday Night Football and is really good in that role, where he’s been since 2009. He’s also got a SportsCenter segment built around him and does a lot of high-profile work with QB prospects every NFL draft season. His is an excellent sports media job.
Does Tennessee want Gruden?
His last college coaching job: coaching wide receivers at Pitt in 1991.
Maybe he’s on a list in a drawer, but I don’t know. Tennessee has a new athletic director in ex-Kansas State boss John Currie, so UT’s past advances don’t mean a lot.
Do Tennessee fans want Gruden?
I don’t know. Here’s a 124-page-and-counting message board thread at VolNation.com titled, “Official Jon Gruden Thread XVII.”
Is there any chance at all Gruden would want Tennessee?
It’s low. It’s not zero, because most human beings can be bought off if you’re willing to pay them enough money to do something, and I don’t know how much Tennessee would offer. Gruden hasn’t coached college ball since he was the tight ends coach at Pacific in 1989. He sounds uninterested in coaching in the college ranks, and — to reiterate a key point — the Tennessee job isn’t even vacant yet.
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