Gruden rumors

[Msujd164]

are really gaining steam on Twitter right now. Apparently The athletic director has been in Tampa making the pitch and the University plane is due to leave soon. Getting interesting on Rocky Top.

[LC Dawg]

Are we sure he's in Tampa to see Gruden or is he using that for a cover? I've heard there are many fun things to do in Tampa.

[#660000]

Wonder if the AD sucked it our just held it in his mouth...

[ckDOG]

are really gaining steam on Twitter right now. Apparently The athletic director has been in Tampa making the pitch and the University plane is due to leave soon. Getting interesting on Rocky Top.

John Gruden is not leaving a job that pays him 6-8 million a year to sit in a booth 20 weeks to rebuild a struggling college football program. That would be dumb. Almost as dumb as trying to pay similar money to a guy that?s never proven he can win at the college game.

[mstatefan91]

John Gruden is not leaving a job that pays him 6-8 million a year to sit in a booth 20 weeks to rebuild a struggling college football program. That would be dumb. Almost as dumb as trying to pay similar money to a guy that?s never proven he can win at the college game.

Maybe he has something to prove? Beyond that? No idea why he would take the job.

[Cooterpoot]

Scott Frost/Charlie Strong/Gruden
Gruden ain't happening.

[TrapGame]

I'm sure he's in Tampa because Hugh told him "It's a really nice place."*

[MarketingBully]

John Gruden is not leaving a job that pays him 6-8 million a year to sit in a booth 20 weeks to rebuild a struggling college football program. That would be dumb. Almost as dumb as trying to pay similar money to a guy that?s never proven he can win at the college game.

Actually with the financial problems ESPN has had, I doubt that salary stays stable. Might be a good move for Gruden to make.

[Commercecomet24]

Scott Frost/Charlie Strong/Gruden
Gruden ain't happening.

Whats your best guess?

[Token Bammer]

Some Ten-RC "insiders" have really been hitting this hard the last two days. We'll see. One of them had the scoop when Butch Jones was hired. Says it will be announced no later than Tuesday.

[bulldogcountry1]

Is there one good example where a guy who was away from college for a long time was able to come back and be successful?

[Tbonewannabe]

Actually with the financial problems ESPN has had, I doubt that salary stays stable. Might be a good move for Gruden to make.

Depends on if he can keep making commercials also. If all he loses is the ESPN salary then maybe it will be a good move. You would think it will take 8 Mill to probably even get him to listen. How much does Franklin make at Penn St? If you are throwing around Saban level money then you should be able to poach a coach from Pedo St.

[HarryBuff]

Copied and pasted from another site.


For what it's worth... Curious where these sources are coming from. So far they are all bogus.


What We're Hearing: Vols said to be ramping up pursuit of Gruden

Grant Ramey-247

The biggest question surrounding Tennessee football?s coaching search is also the toughest to answer.
Are there any legs to all the Jon Gruden talk?

The talk could be gaining some traction, according to some sources, but remains extremely fluid.

GoVols247 was told by two sources Thursday that first-year Tennessee athletic John Currie flew to Tampa, Fla., Wednesday night, where Gruden lives and works out of his infamous Fired Football Coaches Association office.

Talk inside the Tennessee athletic department has led some to believe that the Vols have made a pitch to Gruden, the Monday Night Football color analyst and former Super Bowl winning head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sources have also said that the Vols have given Gruden a deadline on making a decision. If the decision isn?t in Tennessee?s favor, Currie could turn his attention to Mississippi State?s Dan Mullen.
Mullen, we reported on Wednesday, is believed to have reached out to the Vols multiple times to express his interest in the opening.

(Want the latest scoop on Tennessee football and basketball? Make sure you're in the loop ? take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Vols newsletter now!)
GoVols247 has also been told that some believe it could come down to Gruden, who was fired by the Bucs in 2008 and has been out of coaching ever since, choosing between Tennessee and at least two NFL opportunities.

Multiple former players took to social media Wednesday to tease that big news could be on the way, but specifics were never offered.

Currie held a press conference Sunday evening to discuss both the firing of fifth-year head coach Butch Jones and the impending coaching search.

When asked specifically about the Gruden rumors, or rumors surrounding other candidates, Currie didn?t take the bait.

"One of the things that most important for me to do is not add to misinformation,? he said, ?so I will not be making any comments or responses to specific candidates or specific rumors.?

While FootballScoop.com reported Tuesday that there was no interest from Gruden in Tennessee, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Wednesday that the job wasn?t off the table.

In an interview with Stephen Hargis of the Times Free Press, David Blackburn, most recently the athletic director at UT Chattanooga and a former associate athletic director at Tennessee, said he still speaks with Gruden on occasion and believes Gruden remains interested in the job.
GoVols247 reported Monday that Gruden had reached out to three former Tennessee players and coaches ? Appalachian State linebacker Dale Jones and Florida State assistants Randy Sanders and Jay Graham ? to gauge their interest in potentially joining his staff, should he actually take the job this time.
Gruden, who often leaves the door open when his name is connected to coaching searches at Tennessee or in the NFL, has offered mixed messages when it comes to the Vols? vacancy.
When asked directly about the Tennessee job during an appearance on ESPN?s Mike&Mike on Tuesday, he tiptoed around the rampant speculation.

?I haven?t talked to anybody,? Gruden said. ?The only thing I really have in my life is family and football. That?s about it. I?m real sensitive to coaches that are out there, so I don?t speculate.

?I just love football and I?m trying to hang on to the job I have. I?m very fortunate to be with the people I?m with. I don?t know what?s going to happen in the future. I just know this: I?m going to continue to give my best effort to the game, stay prepared. I love Monday Night Football. Don?t plan on leaving.

?But as you know in life,? Gruden added, ?you never say never to nothing.?

The same speculation spread like wildfire in 2012, when Tennessee fired Derek Dooley. It was reported then, too, that Gruden was gauging interest of former Vols about a potential return to Knoxville.

During an appearance on the SEC Network?s Paul Finebaum Show in August 2015, Gruden was asked how close he came to taking the job then.

"I don't know how close," Gruden said. "I love football. I'll be the first to tell you, I miss coaching. But I do look at my job here (at ESPN) as a lot like coaching.

?I get a chance to be around it 364 days a year and I feel like I'm improving, but I don't have a team. Tennessee is a dream job for a lot of people, me included. Timing wasn't right.?

At this point, Tennessee fans are well versed, to say the least, in Gruen?s ties to Knoxville and the Vols.

He was a graduate assistant under Johnny Majors in the late 1980s. His wife is from East Tennessee and his son currently attends Tennessee.

He was also part of a 2014 Tennessee recruiting camp for quarterbacks called ?The Arsenal.? He?s hosted Tennessee's assistant coaches in recent offseasons and he?s been in attendance to watch the Vols, including on the sideline for the Outback Bowl win over Northwestern on New Year?s Day 2016 and in the stands for the South Carolina game this season.

Still, there have been signs that Gruden wouldn?t be interested in a college job, even if he called Tennessee ?a dream job.?

College football insider Brett McMurphy tweeted earlier this week to reference a quote from Gruden in August that seemed to shoot down the idea he would ever coach outside of the NFL.

?If I become a college coach I would probably have you on probation within four or five weeks,? Gruden said. ?Too many rules, man.

?I mean, I like to work. The recruiting ? all that stuff. Yeah, I?d probably have you in real deep, deep trouble if I was your college coach.?

Sources told GoVols247 on Wednesday that Currie had flown to Washington D.C. Tuesday night. He was spotted on social media taking a commercial flight to Charlotte Wednesday morning.

Maryland?s D.J. Durkin, Virginia Tech?s Justin Fuente and Penn State?s James Franklin are all believed to have the interest of Currie as he searches for Tennessee?s next coach.

While making clear he wouldn?t comment on the coaching search until he was introducing his new hire, Currie on Sunday described in part what he was looking for in a head coaching candidate.

?Certainly,? he said, ?we will expect our coach to have the dynamics that will enable him to lead us to where we know Tennessee football can and should be. Our coach needs to know what that looks like.?

?We need to hire someone,? Currie added later, ?who understands the magnitude that comes along with this job and the opportunities and responsibility that come along with being the head football coach at the University of Tennessee."

[Bubb Rubb]

You'll have to define "long time"

Spurrier did it, Saban did it. Dan Devine in the 70s did it. It hasn't happened much. Chucky has been out of the game a lot longer than those guys were.

[msstatelp1]

Quit reading at Mullen has reached out to UT multiple times. Had it said UT has reached out to Mullen multiple times I might could believe it.

[HarryBuff]

I didn't say that. I don't believe it either but it's worth highlighting. I even said they are likely bogus. Seems like that would be sloppy and desperate to even try to do that on Mullen's part.

Seems that Gruden has no interest in the position. If not I don't see why your narrative wouldn't play out though. I'm of the consensus that Mullen is on the verge of the crest of his tenure at State, why would he leave this to start all the way over?

[GreenheadDawg]

Quit reading at Mullen has reached out to UT multiple times. Had it said UT has reached out to Mullen multiple times I might could believe it.

It came from a poster with 2 posts. Stirring the pot.

[LC Dawg]

Quit reading at Mullen has reached out to UT multiple times. Had it said UT has reached out to Mullen multiple times I might could believe it.

Coaches don't reach out, agents do. I'm sure Sexton has reached out to every school with an opening and any schools that he thinks may have an opening. He's trying to get more money for his client because it means more money for him. If Mullen wants to stay in Starkville then Sexton wants to bring as much ammo as he can to the contract extension talks. Hell, he had those stupid ****ers in Oxford convinced that Florida had offered Freeze their HC job.

[Commercecomet24]

Coaches don't reach out, agents do. I'm sure Sexton has reached out to every school with an opening and any schools that he thinks may have an opening. He's trying to get more money for his client because it means more money for him. If Mullen wants to stay in Starkville then Sexton wants to bring as much ammo as he can to the contract extension talks. Hell, he had those stupid ****ers in Oxford convinced that Florida had offered Freeze their HC job.

This is the correct answer.

[ShotgunDawg]

Tennessee needs to hire Gruden if for no other reason that to get it out of their system.

They need the Gruden era to pass, if for no other reason so that the next head coach won't have to deal with the shadow of John Gruden.