Brett Favre endorses former head coach as 'great fit' for any SEC program

The recommendation of an NFL legend can certainly carry some weight. On Brett Favre's 4th and Favre podcast, the legendary former passer made a recommendation for a former head coach who once coached Favre's Green Bay Packers. The former coach is Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden, who was an assistant in Green Bay when Favre played there.

Gruden coached wide receivers in Green Bay in 1993 and 1994, and impressed Favre in the years before he ascended to an NFL head coaching job, culminating in Gruden claiming a Super Bowl crown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003. Favre was clear on why he thinks Gruden could still work out well in the SEC.

Favre's favorite

I mentioned this several weeks ago in regard to Arkansas, but I mentioned a great fit would be Jon Gruden. I think Jon Gruden would be a great fit for any SEC school, especially the ones that had money to make a splash.... Unbelievable coach, he's a young 60, full of piss and vinegar, eats, drinks, sleeps football. I think we all can agree to that. I would love to see him in the SEC. Is it something that LSU wants to pursue or Auburn, Arkansas, Florida? That remains to be seen, but I think he'd be a great fit.
Brett Favre

Gruden's coaching history

Gruden has been the subject of extensive speculation since he was let go from Tampa Bay in 2008. He returned to the NFL with the Oakland Raiders from 2018 to 2021, but before and even since that move, he was linked to several possible jobs, most notably Tennessee.

Gruden was a graduate assistant coach at Tennessee and met his wife at the school. Gruden hasn't coached in college since 1991, but was also intrigued enough to talk about competing in the SEC in a preseason visit to Georgia's fall camp in 2025.

Gruden's other career

Among many other ventures, Gruden had a successful broadcasting run between his eras with the Bucs and the Raiders. He spent several successful seasons with ESPN and is now affiliated with Barstool Sports. He would likely command an impressive salary should an SEC contender take Favre's suggestion and lure Gruden back to college coaching.