College Football HQ

Jon Gruden among favorites to be named coach at historic college football program

Jon Gruden continues to be linked to college football jobs, but so far the former coach has been unable to land a new gig.
Jonathan Adams|
Aug 29, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden walks onto the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Aug 29, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden walks onto the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Several notable college football programs were linked to Jon Gruden, but so far the longtime NFL coach has not found a new home. With another college football powerhouse looking for a new coach, Gruden is already being floated as a potential candidate.

Michigan surprisingly fired Sherrone Moore and is now in search of a new coach. Gruden is being mentioned in the betting odds as a potential Michigan candidate. Less than 24 hours after Moore's firing, Gruden is hovering around the top five in the odds with a 7% chance to land the Michigan job, per Kalshi.

Alabama's Kalen DeBoer is the early favorite at 33%, but the Crimson Tide's current College Football Playoff run could complicate the coach's candidacy. Washington's Jedd Fisch (23%), Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham (14%), Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter (10%) and former Giants coach Brian Daboll (6%) are also listed among the favorites at Michigan.

Jon Gruden has campaigned to land a college football coaching job

Gruden continues to keep his name in the news by going public with his desire to be a college football coach. There are also potential NFL vacancies who could consider Gruden.

For now, Gruden is a media analyst for Barstool Sports and has not coached since being fired by the Raiders in 2021. During an October interview with "Pardon My Take," Gruden admitted that he is preparing to coach again.

“I absolutely love football,” Gruden remarked, per On3. “I love it, and it’s pretty much all I have. I have an office, for the people who don’t know, I’ve got a server in there. I just put a lot of money into a server that collects all the film and allows me to study them.

"Who knows what will happen, but I’m preparing myself as always to coach. But, behind the scenes, we’re getting plenty of football. I promise you.”

It will be interesting to see if Gruden generates serious interest from Michigan. Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy floated Gruden on his "short list" of candidates for Michigan. Gruden was previously linked to the Arkansas job, but these rumors never gained much traction.

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Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

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