Say this for Jon “Chucky” Gruden, one never has to wonder what he’s thinking. The former NFL head coach, whose face and expressions resemble that of the slasher movie villain of his nickname, has had his foot on the bellows, stoking the rumor furnace about his mad desire to return to coaching.
When came Notre Dame to Fayetteville — and the subsequent humiliating loss and Sam Pittman sacking that followed — Gruden was immediately floated by fans and AI alike as a likely (even favored) candidate.
One can hardly be surprised at the level of hubbub, given Gruden’s level of interaction with Arkansas recently. Three years ago, he appeared at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, where he made his first public comments since resigning from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, four years into a 10-year $100 million contract, for emails he sent containing racist and homophobic language. He was visibly emotional as he discussed the matter, saying his actions were “shameful” and asking for a second chance.
“I still love football,” he told the LRTDC crowd. “I’ve made some mistakes. But I don’t think anybody in here hasn’t. And I just ask for forgiveness, and hopefully, I get another shot.”
During that same appearance, he quipped to host David Bazzel about the state of the college game and his potential role in it.
“I was concerned about being a college coach, because I would have you on the death penalty probation within six months,” he said, “but now that you’re paying players and I know a bank with $27 billion, I’d love to have the Arkansas job.”
Then, last month, Gruden hit the subject one more time, with feeling.
“The only reason I really came here is because I want to coach again,” Gruden said in a speech to the Georgia Bulldog football team. “I’m being honest with you. I do not [expletive]. I want to coach again. I’d die to coach in the SEC. I would love it. I would [expletive] love it.”
All of which was merely academic until Pittman’s ouster and suddenly Gruden’s remarks – as well as a viral video from July showing him unpacking a crate of Arkansas gear and professing his love for the team in a Hog hat – were enough to push him to the top of the stack for many fans. When he repeated the stunt with Missouri Tiger swag on Oct. 1, it sent many Hogs fans to social media to lobby on Chucky’s behalf.
When asked for comment by KARK, Arkansan and PGA legend John Daly said he’s spoken to Gruden about the opportunity.
“I’d love either Bobby (Petrino) or Coach Gruden, but Coach Gruden would add that NFL package on both sides. Special teams would be a lot better,” he said.
“Like, all right, we’ve had these coaches. We just haven’t went out and got a huge, huge name coach. That would actually sell the seats just to watch Chucky go.”
A look at Gruden’s job history suggests his candidacy, if it exists, benefits more from recent enthusiasm and name recognition than direct experience. In 36 years of coaching, counting a 2023 stint with the New Orleans Saints as a consultant, Gruden spent a total of just five years in the college ranks, two of them, 1986-87, with Tennessee as a graduate assistant. He had one-year stints with three other programs, including passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State (1988), tight ends coach at Pacific (1989) and wide receivers coach at the University of Pittsburgh (1991).
Most of Gruden’s resume was written in the pro ranks, getting his first head coaching opportunity with the then-Oakland Raiders in 1998, where he turned the moribund franchise into a contender. In 2002, he left Oakland for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where in his first year, he trounced the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Fairly or unfairly, Gruden was maligned in some circles for winning a title with another coach’s roster, having inherited a staunch defense and talented but underperforming offense from fired skipper Tony Dungy. Gruden’s failure to make the playoffs in four of the next six seasons, including two losses in the wild-card round, only fueled such talk.
Today, between an NFL championship and a fall from grace, Gruden inspires, almost more than any other candidate, the starkest divide in opinion.
“I’ve always said Jon Gruden is one of the sharpest minds in football. His energy, passion, and love for the game are a perfect fit for the SEC,” said former NFL great Brett Favre on X a week ago. “Wouldn’t be surprised to see him land somewhere like Arkansas. I could see Gruden being a spark for that program.”
That very same week, USA Today ran a stinging article about the Coach with the headline “Arkansas hiring Jon Gruden would be bold, daring … and dumb.”
So what, a Hog fan may ask, does any of this have to do with beating Mizzou, Texas A&M or LSU? Nothing, actually. In fact, Gruden backers dazzled solely by his lone Super Bowl ring might take as a cautionary tale Bill Belichick, a guy toting seven such sparklers, who likely thought of his own comeback, in so many words, “It’s college football, how hard can it be?” His employer, the woeful 2-3 University of North Carolina, and its fans might be asking the same question.
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