2013 College Football coaching carousel

Gruden changed overnight after winning the Super Bowl. It was no secret he was trying to run off his GM. It didn't help that Tampa had salary cap issues and also was low on draft picks because of what they gave up to get Gruden in the first place...

He also never had a top line QB in Tampa. Brad Johnson was pretty good, but not on the level of Rich Gannon, who was his QB in Oakland.

 

I remain skeptical of any would-be NFL hotshot becoming a major college coach with no significant recruiting experience. That is a skill set that isn't used in the pros and can't be just instantly learned.

 

Jon Gruden is charismatic and smart. He would master it. Pete Carroll had no issues.

 

I remain skeptical that people think a college can and will put together a package to rival what a highly sought NFL coach can command. Nick Saban is the top coach in college at $5.5M; several NFL coaches are widely reported to be north of $7M.

I also remain skeptical that Gruden would cash in his leverage at the end of November. He's going to be up for every job from now until they're filled.

Still think Bob Lamonte is using these colleges to tell NFL teams "this time he's serious about coming back."

 

Gruden has a comparable record in the NFL to Lovie Smith, Jim Mora and Bobby Ross. Not exactly Hall of Fame company.

 

All would be (and in Ross' case, have been) fine college coaches.

 

I just don't see Gruden fitting as a college coach. I could be wrong.

But I figure this is all A) driven by his agent or B) piss-poor reporters taking message board rumors and repackaging it as "sources say."

 

I don't have a damn clue about the reporting and sourcing behind this hype. But I have always thought he would make a great college coach. He has all the charisma. And how many winning NFL coaches failed as college coaches?

 

Rick Stain thinks all of those guys are great coaches.

 

If Gruden is serious about, say, Tennessee or Arkansas, he's going to have to act in the next couple of weeks. No program is going to hold a job open that long on the idea of "Well, if I don't get the NFL offer I want....".

Now, I wouldn't discount that his agent might talk to an owner behind closed doors and see what's available. But if wants a college job, he's going to have to grab it by early December or someone else will.

 

Bill Walsh didn't fail at Stanford but he hardly set the world on fire, especially given what the last two guys (and hell, even Willingham) have shown is possible.

 

He was 61, therefore failing to meet the "don't hire anyone in their 60s" criterion.