Jon Gruden emerges as long-shot head coach candidate for major college football program

Jon Gruden has emerged as a last resort candidate for a college football head coaching vacancy.

Jul 28, 2025; Allen Park, MI, USA; NBC analyst Jon Gruden watches the Detroit Lions training camp with former Monday Night Football and current NBC announcer Mike Tirico at Meijer Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Nearly two weeks have passed since Michigan parted ways with Sherrone Moore due to cause on Dec. 10. The Wolverines are the only Power Four program that has not hired a head coach as the 2026 offseason approaches.

Michigan did not succeed in attracting any of its first choices to the job. Jedd Fisch did not give the Wolverines more interest than his current job at Washington, Kalen DeBoer's win over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff appears to be keeping him at Alabama, and Kenny Dillingham inked an extension with Arizona State.

The second round of candidates includes names such as Jeff Brohm of Louisville and Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri. However, both coaches have signed contract extensions with their respective programs.

One name that commonly appears in coaching searches as a last resort is former NFL head coach Jon Gruden. J.D. PicKell of On3 acknowledged this as the case with the Michigan search on a recent edition of "The Hard Count."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy | MPS-Imagn Images

"Does this job, based on where we are at in this search, not scream 'Jon Gruden?'" PicKell said. "It probably won't happen, but with where they're at right now, he's first team All-Living Room. He's energy, much like all those other coaches that I mentioned. To be honest, Michigan is already in 'we'll see where this goes' territory."

While Gruden has head coaching experience, he has not worked in the college football ranks in nearly 35 years. His three college coaching jobs after his time as a graduate assistant include a year as the passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State, a year as the tight ends coach at Pacific, and a year as the wide receivers coach at Pittsburgh.

Gruden served as an NFL head coach in three different stints, beginning in 1998 with the Oakland Raiders. He finished 38-26 in the first stint, guiding the Raiders to a pair of playoff appearances.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Gruden by trading copious amounts of draft picks in the 2002 offseason. The Buccaneers defeated the Raiders to win Super Bowl XXXVII that same season.

Gruden was fired after the 2009 season and spent the next eight NFL seasons as an analyst on ESPN's Monday Night Football. Gruden coached one more stint for the Raiders from 2018 to 2021 before he was abruptly fired from the post over a series of emails.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden talks with quarterback Derek Carr (4) | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images