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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Jon Gruden unlikely to take Arkansas coaching job, says local TV station

Jon Gruden has been offered the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas, reports say, but is expected to decline the position.

One Arkansas television station says that Jon Gruden has been offered the head coaching job of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Although if their reporting is correct, we’ll never know, as the station says that Gruden is an extreme long shot to accept the position.

Jim Harris of Little Rock CBS affiliate KTHV says that three sources confirmed to him that the university has put out an offer to the Monday Night Football analyst in hopes of finding a replacement for interim coach John L. Smith, who has been in charge at Arkansas since the April firing of Bobby Petrino. There was no indication of the length or terms of the potential deal. This follows up on Jason La Canfora and others reporting interest.

However, Harris also indicates that he doesn’t believe Gruden will take the job. Gruden hasn’t coached on the college ranks since 1991, never holding a head coaching job in the NCAA. He spent 11 years as head coach of the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being fired in 2008 and has since worked as an analyst for ESPN. As of Monday, Gruden was said to be committed to ESPN despite being linked to the vacant positions at both Arkansas and Tennessee.

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