Few people have been linked to a college football program more than Jon Gruden and the Tennessee Volunteers. The rumors appeared to peak when Gruden was a Monday Night Football analyst from 2009 to 2017. Years later, it appears there was some smoke to the ongoing chatter about Gruden’s interest in coaching the Vols. During an April 3, interview on “The Mike Keith Show,” Gruden admitted there were “serious talks” with Tennessee, There was a vacancy in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2017 after Butch Jones was fired. “When I was doing Monday Night Football there were some serious talks,” Gruden said regarding the ongoing Tennessee rumors. “I just wasn’t ready to do college football. “I was broadcasting Monday Night Football, and I really felt if I had become the head coach here at Tennessee, I probably would have got (into) all kind of trouble with recruiting, because I want to get all the best players.
