Not long after Indiana University fired head football coach Tom Allen on Sunday, a report surfaced that a surprising “wildcard candidate” had emerged as his replacement: Jon Gruden.
That’s right, the same Jon Gruden who last coached 3 1/2 seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders before resigning in 2021 after racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments in emails he had sent years earlier came to light.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported several candidates for the post, including Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, but then mentioned Gruden as a “wildcard … who has support with some key IU folks.”
Within an hour or two, the mainstream media and social media ran with the story, with the speculation ramping up with each subsequent report. By Monday morning, an Internet troll had even updated Gruden’s Wikipedia page to list him as the Hoosiers’ head coach.
Wikipedia has already added the Indiana job to Jon Gruden's resume 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Aa9mapxe4N
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 27, 2023
While it’s an intriguing story — the kid who grew up in Indiana coming home for a shot at redemption — it’s not true, according to one Indiana insider. On Sunday night, Jeff Rabjohns, who publishes Peegs.com and covers Indiana and college basketball recruiting, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Just for general reference, Jon Gruden is not a candidate at Indiana. Reports that he is are inaccurate.”
Just for general reference, Jon Gruden is not a candidate at Indiana. Reports that he is are inaccurate. #iufb
— Jeff Rabjohns (@JeffRabjohns) November 27, 2023
This isn’t the first time, of course, that Gruden’s name has surfaced in connection with a college coaching job. He’s been widely rumored as a candidate in the past for the Tennessee Volunteers’ head coaching position — although that was before his unceremonious NFL exit.
Gruden, who is currently serving as a consultant with the New Orleans Saints, may well be given another shot to be a head coach somewhere. But it apparently won’t be with the Indiana Hoosiers.
