Former NFL coach Jon Gruden on Friday said he nearly "pulled the trigger" on taking the Tennessee job while he was still working at ESPN:

It seemed like whenever Tennessee had a football coaching opening between the demise of Phillip Fulmer in 2008 and the ascension of Josh Heupel in 2021, Jon Gruden’s name would be linked to the Volunteers.

Jon Gruden revealed that he almost took a college coaching job way before even sniffing barstool on a recent podcast

Jon Gruden didn’t specify when, but he said on a podcast on Friday he came close to taking the Tennessee head coaching job years ago.

As it turns out, Jon Gruden really was a candidate for the Tennessee job at one point. The veteran coach joined Barstool Sports this week and appeared on Pardon My Take. Gruden was of course asked about the Tennessee job that he apparently flirted with.

Newly-hired by Barstool Sports, former Super Bowl-winning NFL head coach Jon Gruden is reflecting on some of the missed opportunities he's had, which includes a high-profile head coaching job. Appearing on Pardon My Take,

If you've been a Tennessee Vols fan for longer than 10 years, you're almost certainly familiar with "Grumors". During Tennessee's coaching searches in 2012 and 2017, rumors about the Vols' interest in former NFL head coach Jon Gruden flooded the internet.