The Long Shots
Although these names are highly unlikely to come to Knoxville to be Tennessee’s next head coach, their names will undoubtedly be brought up now that there’s a vacancy. It’s not impossible the Vols could land one of these people, but it’s not a safe bet either.
Jon Gruden
Quick Bio: Tennessee’s white whale is back on everyone’s mind. “Grumors” have already been swirling around Tennessee’s football program for the last month, and expect them to only intensify now that the Vols’ head coaching position is actually open.
Pros: Jon Gruden has won a Super Bowl and has kept his mind fresh on football despite being with ESPN and out of coaching for nearly a decade. He’s largely considered a quarterback guru, and he had success as an NFL head coach and has remained in the spotlight with ESPN.
Cons/Questions: There’s no guarantee Gruden will have success as a college head coach. And even though he’s kept his mind sharply focused on football while at ESPN, it’s still been since 2008 that he’s been on a sideline as a head coach. How would he adjust from the NFL rules and regulations to the collegiate ranks? Gruden has a high ceiling, but he also has many questions to answer.
Bob Stoops
Quick Bio: Bob Stoops surprised the collegiate world when he announced he was stepping away from coaching prior to the 2017 season. He had amassed huge success at Oklahoma since taking over in 1999 as their head coach. But now he’s out of coaching and could be available if called upon.
Pros: Stoops led the Sooners to a national title and 10 conference championships in his 18 years as head coach there. He was one of the most successful head coaches of his time while he was in the game.
Cons/Questions: Stoops doesn’t seem to want to jump back into coaching and told an ESPN reporter back in October that he plans on remaining retired and doesn’t want to coach in college or the NFL ever again. Tennessee could throw tons of money at him, but it’s unlikely they will or that he would come out of retirement for the Vols.
3 Responses
My opinion is: Be careful who you wish for, you might get them! We all know Jon Gruden knows a lot about football but how much does he know about being a College Football Coach? We need a person who is a dynamic coach that will take these recruits to the next level. We already have the talent in place, we just need to have a coach that knows how to develop them. So, Mr. Currie, please be careful and choose the right coach this time! I love Tennessee Vols football and just want it back to the glory days. Go Big Orange!
I don’t get the reluctance to welcome Jon Gruden back to The Hill. Any leader making anything much more complicated than meat loaf has to delegate much of what gets done to assistants. Does Jon Gruden know how to win football games? I think he does. Will elite players flock to K-town to play for him? I think they will. Can Coach Gruden attract good assistants? He must have to win a Super Bowl.
He is the guy if the university will finally show it cares about winning.
Bobby Petrine, T. Martin, new ideas, more disciplined better connected to the players. Able to instill Tennessee volunteers traditional into the game .and bring us back where we belong. I think recruting will still be good with either one of these as coaches?