Jon Gruden to Florida Gators is Bad News, No Matter What Happens with Billy Napier

The immediate future of the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Napier is in doubt, but there should be no doubt around Jon Gruden.

When coaching rumors circulate, John Gruden's name always pops up. The Florida Gators should steer clear. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Billy Napier's days as the head coach of the Florida Gators seems to be numbered. With rumors swirling about who Florida will hire post-Napier, disgraced-former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden's name bubbles to the surface. To the chagrin of the intelligent and the delight of the starstruck, the buzz around the former NFL head coach continues to mount. Based on name value, some people truly think that Gruden makes sense in Gainesville. 

For the most basic reasons, he does not. Yet, the brightness of his football celebrity obscures the common-sense vision that many actually share. Jon Gruden makes zero sense for the University of Florida, and yet, his name flies around the football world.

Make it make sense.

The Fairytale

People, from all aspects of media on different levels, push for Florida to hire Gruden, from the lesser known to the national voices. Why? Do they truly want the Gators to climb back up the ladder and regain their spot as a premier college program?

Of course not. 

Most in the media want the quotes, the press conferences, the mugging for the camera, the word salad bar that Gruden utters every time he speaks that isn't an email regarding race, gender, or orientation. More on that later. Parts of the media could care less about the on-field dynamics, for it is the sizzle that they believe that puts money in their collective pockets. 

When you peruse social media, you see nothing about what offensive scheme changes Gruden will make, just that his hiring would bring back fun. To paraphrase Carl Sandburg, when you can't win an argument on facts, pound the table and yell. Pretty much what Gruden brings to the table at this point.

The On-Field Truth

After not coaching in college since 1991, do you truly trust Jon Gruden with the entire Florida Gators program? He coached wide receivers at Pitt. The sport evolved a few times since then. Meaning, Chris Bouyer who led the team in receiving yards probably wouldn't play scout team at Florida. Moreover, Gruden's track record as head coach should not excite anyone. 

First, while he did succeed during his first stint with the Oakland Raiders, he inherited an all-time great defense in Tampa. The Buccaneers beat a Raiders team, helmed by Gruden’s former assistant who changed the game plan the Friday before the Super Bowl.

People, like Hall of Fame wideouts Tim Brown and Jerry Rice believe that Gruden's win was tainted by what they believe speaks volumes. Furthermore, look at Tampa Bay once that great-defense aged. Two playoff appearances, zero wins.

On top of that, his second stint in Oakland/Las Vegas crippled the franchise. The Raiders lacked the ability to threaten defenses vertically and played a hyper-conservative style of football that netted just one playoff appearance and several embarrassing games. He's a .500 NFL coach.

The Off Field Truth

Jon Gruden, from an ego standpoint, wants total control. What athletic director wants to surrender control to a head coach? Unless you have that Nick Saban, Kirby Smart-type of success, no one with active brain cells would agree to such a foolish endeavor. 

With the Raiders, Gruden chased off a quality general manager in Reggie McKenzie, in favor of Mike Mayock, who publicly admitted that Gruden calls the short. Plus, trading away generational pass rush Khalil Mack and standout receiver Amari Cooper only to  squander the first-round draft picks in return, encapsulates the depths of Gruden's managerial inadequacies. 

Imagine translating that to recruiting where players have more freedom of movement than the pros with the transfer portal. Combine that with Gruden's acerbic coaching style. How does that help Florida? Is Gruden the guy to attract top-tier talent and more importantly, keep them there to develop?

Negative Recruiting

Hypothetically, say Florida hires Gruden. Every SEC coach will run over the Florida border to grab even more players. They would highlight Gruden's lackluster professional record while highlighting his lack of a college one. More importantly, the opposing schools could print off and read what Gruden emailed to a member of the Washington Football Team’s front office. First, he used racist language in regards to describe NFLPA Executive DeMaurice Smith. 

So, imagine trying to explain that to a Black recruit and his family. Next, he used hatespeech to describe NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Picture him using that to describe SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. The level of shame and embarrassment that he would bring upon the University of Florida boggles the mind. Also, Gruden voiced his opinion regarding his objections to making the game safer. 

Try telling that to the parents of a recruit, when you are trying to ask them to entrust you with their child's safety. Add in the photo exchanges of Washington Football Team cheerleaders, who are team employees. Now, the Gruden defenders will fall over themselves trying to minimize the emails as "so long ago that they should not matter." If someone is willing to commit hateful, bigoted, racist language to emails and feel good about it, no time limit exists when it comes to hate.

Overview

The Florida Gators will need a head football coach to eventually replace Billy Napier; that seems a matter of when, not if at this point. Jon Gruden does not fit and should not figure into that conversation.

On the field, he's displayed great faults as a head coach. Most importantly, his words paint the picture of a person that the university does not need around for the reasons stated. Sports programs will forgive all sorts of sins in the name of winning, but the juice isn't worth the squeeze for the Sunshine State's flagship university.