Jon Gruden Linked to College Football Head Coaching Job originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Before the college football season has even started, fans and analysts around the sport have already tabbed which coaches are on the hot seat heading into 2025.
One head coach who will be feeling the pressure to find success this upcoming season is Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry. Hired before the 2022 season as a first-time head coach, Pry has struggled to get the Hokies out of the ACC’s basement, posting a 16-21 record in his first three years on the job.
With FanDuel giving the Hokies a win total of 6.5 on the year, the expectation is for them to again be fighting to be above average. If Pry is unable to exceed or even meet expectations, the program may be left with no choice but to move on. If that were to happen, ESPN’s Peter Burns already has the perfect replacement in mind in former NFL head coach Jon Gruden.
Virginia Tech HC Jon Gruden just seems so right for 2026.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 11, 2025
Is Jon Gruden Currently Coaching?
Gruden last coached for the Las Vegas Raiders, but resigned in October of 2021 after reports surfaced that emails written by him featured racist, misogynistic and homophobic language. The Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003) has worked with the New Orleans Saints as a consultant in 2023, but has since transitioned back into a media role.
Gruden signed on with Barstool Sports in November of 2024, where he’s released “Gruden’s QB Class,” featuring draft hopeful quarterbacks working with him before the 2025 NFL Draft with names such as Will Howard, Jaxson Dart and Quinn Ewers all making appearances.
In terms of whether or not Gruden wants to get back into coaching or coach at the college level, he made it clear at a recent speaking engagement at Georgia that he’d love to. Unfortunately for Virginia Tech, he did say he’d want to coach in the SEC.
“I’m being honest with you, I do not (expletive), either,” Gruden said. “I want to coach again. I’d die to coach in the SEC.”
There’s still a ways away before the coaching cycle is churning, but clearly Gruden will be a name to watch.
Related: There’s a New No. 1 Team in College Football After Latest Poll Released
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.