Jon Gruden the answer or another risk for Arkansas? weighing the pros and cons

Jon Gruden to Arkansas has been a fever dream of some devoted fans since 2012. And with his recent comments about wanting to coach in the SEC, it's ignited once again with Arkansas' current coaching search.

But what can Hog fans really expect if the longtime NFL coach makes the switch to the college game? With that in mind, here are three pros and cons of Arkansas hiring Gruden as its newest head coach.

Arkansas Football Coaching Search: Pros and Cons of Jon Gruden

Pros

Super Bowl Winning Coach

Perhaps the biggest draw to Gruden is his past success in the NFL. In the early 2000s, he led the Oakland Raiders to back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins. In 2002, he took the Tampa Bay job and led the Buccaneers to the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance. Ironically, Super Bowl XXXVII was against his former team, the Raiders. Gruden's Bucs inevitably came out on top 48-21. At the time, he broke the record for the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl, becoming the first to win it in his 30s.

Although it's at a different level, that type of championship-winning success is something Arkansas desperately needs.

Decades of Experience

Winning a championship at the highest level in the sport isn't the only thing he's gained from the NFL. He has 15 years of experience as a head coach, but his coaching career started much earlier than that.

His first NFL gig came in 1990 with the San Francisco 49ers as an offensive assistant. From there, he had stints at Green Bay and Philadelphia before landing his first head coaching job with the Raiders. In 2008, Tampa Bay fired Gruden after consecutive 9-7 seasons. He then took a 10-year break from coaching before returning to the team where it all began in 2018.

Even after his career with the Buccaneers ended, he stayed around the sport. He became one of the highest-paid personalities for ESPN, while also running his own quarterback camp, televised on the network. A few notable quarterbacks who have appeared on the show include Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, and more.

Instant Name Recognition

In today’s NIL era, name recognition carries more weight than ever. Gruden's success at multiple levels, on and off the field, has certainly gained him name recognition. What's more, few names resonate across generations of football fans quite like ‘Jon Gruden.’

Old heads know him from his early success in the League. However, the younger generation may know him from his current venture at Barstool Sports, which targets the 18-34 age demographic. That means the excitement will resonate not only with older, deep-pocketed boosters but also with potential recruits.

Cons

Spotty NFL Career

While Gruden has done what every coach in the NFL strives to do, overall, his career isn't all that impressive. In his 15 years as a head coach, Gruden's record is only a hair above .500. He's had six winning seasons, not including his 15th season that was cut short. The Las Vegas Raiders were 3-2 when he resigned, but they finished 10-7 in 2021. On the other hand, he's had eight seasons that finished at .500 or below.

Arkansas has wallowed in mediocrity ever since Bobby Petrino took his fateful Harley ride in 2012. Hiring a coach whose career has largely mirrored that same pattern may not be the gamble the athletic department wants to take.

Never a Head Coach in College

The vast majority of Gruden's career has been in the NFL. Over his 28 years as a coach in any capacity, Gruden spent five of them at the college level. None were as a head coach and every one of those jobs took place in 1991 or before.

Now, when Jon Gruden was at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in 2022, he was more than ready to face NIL, but that's not the only thing that's changed in the college game. There's also the yearly free agency called the Transfer Portal.

With a roster that’s seemingly always in flux, Gruden’s offense may not translate well to the college game. His notoriously complex, drawn-out play calls could overwhelm players—especially when most are only around for a year or two.

Baggage

He's one of the more fascinating personalities in the sport. While it's great for exciting the fanbase and players, it usually comes with some sort of baggage, and Gruden is not in short supply of his own.

His final NFL season was cut short after emails from his time as an ESPN analyst resurfaced. He used 'misogynistic and anti-gay language' in emails before becoming the Raiders head coach in 2018.

Arkansas is obviously not opposed to hiring someone with a checkered past. After all, Petrino has taken the reins of Arkansas' football program 13 years after he lost it. Unfortunately, Gruden's drama doesn't end there. He's currently in a legal battle with the NFL over his termination, accusing the League of maliciously orchestrating a campaign to "destroy his career by leaking the emails."

That type of drama may be a bit too much for a program that's seen too much over the last decade.

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