The University of Louisville currently has a head coach. But, like many football programs that are struggling, consideration reportedly is being given to the identity of the next head coach, in the event that the current head coach gets the boot.
According to Michael Lombardi of NFL Network, the powers-that-be at Louisville have put former Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden at the top of their wish list.
But with all due respect to the powers-that-be at Louisville, why in the hell do they think that Gruden would want the job? Gruden’s only connection to the school is that his brother, Jay, played there from 1985 through 1988. Besides, Louisville is currently a mid-level Big East program. If Gruden were to dip his toe into the college waters, he’d go to the Big Ten or the SEC or Notre Dame.
Besides, Gruden has a damn good job right now with ESPN’s Monday Night Football, and Gruden will be on the “A” list for NFL jobs until he decides to take one.
So while Gruden might indeed be the first man Louisville targets, they’d might as well add Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, and Vince Lombardi to the list, too. All men have an equal chance, in our view, of becoming the next head coach of the Cardinals.
The bigger question is whether Gruden will jump into the January 2010 game of musical chairs at the NFL level. His success as an analyst flows from his passion for the game, and that passion will cause him to take his trademark scowl and “Super Fans” accent back to the sidelines, eventually.
But he’ll likely wait for the right opportunity. And unless Louisville plans to offer eight figures annually, we can’t imagine Gruden settling for that specific job.