Internet-savvy fans connect Jon Gruden to Tennessee
How much longer does Derek Dooley have at Tennessee? Is he on the outs if his Volunteers lose to South Carolina on Saturday – especially if his team gets its doors blown off by the Gamecocks?
I think we can all agree on one thing: Dooley's in trouble. But like all head coaches, Dooley controls his own fate; all he needs to do is win some games, if not win out, to take himself off the hot seat.
And if he doesn't? If UT goes, say, 5-7? Then who's next?
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is one name to watch, though UT will need to think long and hard about hiring another Nick Saban disciple. (Dooley was an assistant under Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.)
But as in 2010, when the university was in the market for a replacement for Lane Kiffin, one name has the Tennessee fan base atwitter: Jon Gruden.
Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden, currently serving as ESPN's color analyst on Monday Night Football. Is Gruden Knoxville-bound?
There's already one connection between the once-proud program and the head coach.
Log onto your computer and open your browser. (You've already done both of these things, I imagine.) If you check out the Web site HireJonGruden.com, you are automatically redirected to… the University of Tennessee's sports site.
There's more. For a brief time yesterday, as noticed by Athlon Sports, Gruden's Wikipedia page stated that he was "the current head coach at the University of Tennessee."
There you go. Obviously, Gruden is headed for UT and the SEC.
Let's just say that Gruden does sign on for the job in Knoxville, as far-fetched as that sounds. He'd have weapons to work with on offense, especially if quarterback Tyler Bray and wide receiver Justin Hunter decide to return for another year – this seems likely with Bray, who has had a down year, but Hunter could be gone.
The Volunteers are making some strides on defense under first-year coordinator Sal Sunseri, another former Saban assistant, though there's still tremendous work to be done. All in all, however, Gruden would inherit a far better situation than did Dooley in 2010.
And what about Gruden vs. Saban? The two have met once before, during Saban's first year with the Miami Dolphins in 2005. The Buccaneers won 27-13. Gruden 1, Saban 0.
Thanks to Outkick the Coverage for the link.