Jon Gruden to Indiana gains momentum after Tom Allen's firing leaves CFB pundits pondering over potential replacements
With the Indiana Hoosiers firing Tom Allen earlier this week, Jon Gruden has become one of the shocking candidates to become the next coach of the program. Gruden has not been in the coaching circles since being fired by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. However, he has been a consultant for the New Orleans Saints throughout the 2023 season, so he has been part of the NFL in some capacity.
College football insider Bruce Feldman posted on social media a link to his article in The Athletic with the caption for the story below:
"Among the Indiana coaching candidates to replace Tom Allen: South Alabama's Kane Wommack, Bama OC Tommy Rees, Ohio State OL coach Justin Frye, and a big wildcard candidate who has support with some key IU folks: Jon Gruden."
The Indiana Hoosiers are in an interesting position as they are in a loaded Big Ten Conference that is adding the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Utah Utes, and Washington Huskies. This means they need to hit on a coaching hire here or else they will be lucky to sniff the top 10 in their own conference.
Would Jon Gruden be the answer for the Indiana Hoosiers?
Jon Gruden has proven to be an excellent coach throughout his career. With a 122-116 career record in the National Football League, he also has a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Super Bowl XXXVII. Gruden has not been part of a collegiate coaching staff since he was the wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers during the 1991 season.
Gruden has never been a collegiate head coach, so if he were to become the next coach for the Indiana Hoosiers, he is going to need to establish an elite coaching staff. He had done a good job for years with ESPN, highlighting top-tier quarterback prospects before entering the NFL draft but this is a totally different beast.
Recruits out of high school or even college football transfers are not going to remember Gruden's coaching successes. Instead, they will remember his Raiders tenure and his ESPN career. If he is going to become the next head coach for the Indiana Hoosiers, he will need experienced collegiate coaches littered throughout his staff.
This might be a splashy hire but in the Big Ten Conference, the Hoosiers need it to be relevant in the present and the future. There's a reason we haven't heard his name linked elsewhere and this could be a chance to fix his reputation. I