Do you take Gruden at $50m over 10 years?

[First&Tenn]

I'm not a big believer in hiring a pro coach.

Heck, if you are going to throw that kind of coin at someone, you could steal a number of successful college coaches away

I believe in business philosophy, and if you want to win in business you have to find some way to create a competitive advantage. Some schools like UF and Texas have a built in advantage based on geography and recruiting. Some schools like UT have to find other ways to create an advantage. Hiring the only coach in college football with a SuperBowl win (as head coach) would give UT a competitive advantage in recruiting and marketing based on the unique credentials of the coach. In the NCAA, talent is almost everything, and Gruden has the name recognition and reputation to get top 5 recruiting classes. With 2 or 3 of those under his belt and a good staff of assistants, he would win far more than he would lose and the AD would profit.

 

[Jake]

A couple of concerns.

1. He never developed any young talent. So, I don't know how good he is with young players.

2. He is a pro guy and the games are different

He studies ALL phases of the game relentlessly

 

[oregonvol]

I'm not a big believer in hiring a pro coach.

Heck, if you are going to throw that kind of coin at someone, you could steal a number of successful college coaches away

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of hiring pro coaches. Odds-wise, it's not a safe bet. That said, Gruden seems like he would be more of a Pete Carrol type and given his personality and connections, I think he will make the jump quite well.

I don't think there are many really successful college coaches we could lure away for that price. I mean, at that price, the goal is a national championship. Who could we get of that caliber? Kelly (Brian or Chip) or Saban aren't coming at any price. Stoops? I doubt it. Petersen might, but he's about the same level of risk as Gruden.

 

[Godfatha]

I'm not a big believer in hiring a pro coach.

Heck, if you are going to throw that kind of coin at someone, you could steal a number of successful college coaches away

Aren't you guys paying Muschump $4 million plus?

If Muschump is worth $4m, Gruden is worth $6m.

 

[pualsline]

If Gruden has a "kitty" to pay his assistants 4-5 million the staff is going to be ridiculous

 

[Volwark]

Worth every damn penny and then some.

 

[First&Tenn]

Aren't you guys paying Muschump $4 million plus?

If Muschump is worth $4m, Gruden is worth $6m.

I'm pretty sure that Muschamp makes $2.75 million a year with about $3 million for his assistants.

 

[BigOrange04]

ABSOLUTELY! Gruden is more than a football coach. Gruden is a brand in himself. Top qb's would line up to play for him, and he would have no problem getting top talent to ut. Also, the last 4 years he has been traveling and visiting with other coaches to pick up what ever he can from them. He is going to be a refreshed coach due to the time off, and I think it would be a HUGE mistake if we don't agree to that offer.

 

[LaagerVol]

I'm not a big believer in hiring a pro coach.

Heck, if you are going to throw that kind of coin at someone, you could steal a number of successful college coaches away

How many pro coaches have won a superbowl, then gone on to coach a college team? Bill Walsh? Any others?

How many coaches PERIOD, have Gruden's charisma? Highly doubtful that his name and enthusiasm alone would attract the top recruits. So no concerns there.

He is obviously a good enough Xs and Os coach to win the superbowl. So no concerns about his coaching ability.

I just don't see any questions? Explain to me why he wouldn't be the best hire. Not in generalities like "oh, I'm not a big believer in hiring pro coaches". Give some actual reasons why.

 

[bcartervol98]

You cannot put a price tag on immediate national relevance again. Recruits would be falling all over themselves to make OVs and he could sign top 5 classes every year.

 

[Blledingtangerine]

That's apparently what Basillo is reporting. I don't care how inaccurate Basillo is, it's an interesting question.

10 years is a long time to be committed to paying out 5/yr

I personally would be a fan of a longer contract, assuming the coach was a proven commodity like Gruden. I'd love a contract that would essentially make Tennessee fans shut-up and swallow what happens the next 5-7 years with the same head coach so we can finally have some stability.

Seriously?

Someone would have to be beyond stupid to award a contract like that. Not to Gruden, not to Patterson, Carroll, Peterson even Saban.

Sometimes, humans just lose their spirit. They lose the drive they once had.

Haslam didnt get to where he is by making stupid decisions and a contract such as that is just stupid.

Personally, if I were to ever have a lapse in judgement and award a contract such as that, it sure as hell wouldnt be to Gruden.

Tell me this...

Other than the initial "WOW!! Tennessee landed John Gruden! " and recruits initially being wowed by his celebrity(which would certainly help to land alot of high end recruits such as Bryce Brown), What else are you guaranteed to get?

If after his intial splash, he isnt winning, kids wont be nearly as impressed by him.

Gruden brings no guarantees other than initial recruiting, he has never been a successful college coach and its just ludicrous to me that such a suggestion would ever even be discussed.

Get real.

 

[LaagerVol]

Flame me if you want. I have to agree with Mr. Gator on this one.
Gruden is not coming to UT. Why would he. He can make the same amount of money, if not more in the NFL with half the work.

Weigh out the pros and cons if you were in the same postion as Gruden.

We will be lucky to land Patterson or Strong.

Just keeping it real.

P.S.
I will run through my neighborhood buck naked if I'm wrong!!

GO BIG ORANGE!!!!

Wrong! Where did you get that? Jimmy Johnson was just on the Dan Patrick show the other day saying how much more work, how much more of a grind, the NFL is over college. I think I trust his take on the difficulties of the job over yours.

 

[Blledingtangerine]

You cannot put a price tag on immediate national relevance again. Recruits would be falling all over themselves to make OVs and he could sign top 5 classes every year.

No offense brother, but your dreaming.

 

[LaagerVol]

Seriously?

Someone would have to be beyond stupid to award a contract like that. Not to Gruden, not to Patterson, Carroll, Peterson even Saban.

Sometimes, humans just lose their spirit. They lose the drive they once had.

Haslam didnt get to where he is by making stupid decisions and a contract such as that is just stupid.

Personally, if I were to ever have a lapse in judgement and award a contract such as that, it sure as hell wouldnt be to Gruden.

Tell me this...

Other than the initial "WOW!! Tennessee landed John Gruden! " and recruits initially being wowed by his celebrity(which would certainly help to land alot of high end recruits such as Bryce Brown), What else are you guaranteed to get?

If after his intial splash, he isnt winning, kids wont be nearly as impressed by him.

Gruden brings no guarantees other than initial recruiting, he has never been a successful college coach and its just ludicrous to me that such a suggestion would ever even be discussed.

Get real.

So you don't think the man can coach.....

 

[Volnbeers]

10 years seems like a pretty big commitment for someone who has never been a head coach at the collegiate level.

But with that said, I'd do it. I'm tired of medicrity (at best). Grudens name alone would bring in top talent. I'm inclined to believe we'd at least be competitive with the top talent and all-star staff that gruden would bring. Besides, coaching salaries are only going to go up. Pay the price now, reap the benefits later.

 

[Stevorino]

I think people need to take a step back, breathe a little, and ask when gruden became god's gift to coaching.

Tennessee needs to get the best coach they can, not the coolest name out there

I agree with this statement to some extent. For 5m over 10 years, you can theoretically attract a lot of names.

I will say that I have a hard time listing coaches I'd rather have though.

I think when you see NFL coaches go to college, it's rarely a guy who was awesome in the pros like Gruden. Bill Walsh is the only successful pro coach to make the trip back to college (at least that I could think of).

 

[AllVolinGA]

If needed, I will hand deliver the contract to him myself. Yes is the answer.

 

[Blledingtangerine]

Worth every damn penny and then some.

I agree, Saban and Carroll sure would be.

 

[orangepeopleeater]

I was buzzing through the net this morning and found this ... Is Tony Basilio credible or is this just another rumor being spread? Its getting hard to sort through true journalism and gossip.

This is from Tonys talking points .... couldn't get a link kept sending me to a google search.



Now, I am happy to report exclusively here that there has been some movement on the Gruden front. Remember, I've been telling you that Tennessee wanted to make sure that Gruden would take the UT job before any offer was ever extended to him???? Well, it's getting very interesting around here right now. Sources really close to this situation tell me that Gruden's agent Bob LaMonte has told Tennessee that Gruden WOULD TAKE THE TENNESSEE job if offered. Here's where it gets really interesting. Gruden's financial demands are mindboggling in this day and age.


Gruden's Demands:
A guaranteed 10 year deal @ $5 million per year.
A kitty of $4-5 million per year for his assistants.



I can report that Tennessee hasn't given LaMonte any answer to this. Remember, I told you yesterday that things from UT's end has cooled recently on Gruden as they have some concerns about his style correlating to the major college level. But I've been telling you these concerns wouldn't be a deal breaker in this situation if Gruden could alleviate these concerns.



I believe Tennessee could seek some wiggle room in these terms but LaMonte has given indication that the terms requested are pretty firm. In other words, Tennessee could come back with something lower but not much lower.


I believe The Gruden/Tennessee deal is still in play. It's far from a done deal as some have said. And it's not completely over yet either. I expect this flirtation to continue for a while.


This latest turn with LaMonte telling Dave Hart and UT's brass that Gruden is interested in coming is quite a development.



I can tell you that Peyton Manning remains active in this search along with all the heavy hitters and Dave Hart.




Now, the ball is officially in Tennessee's court. 10 years and $50 million guaranteed just for the head coach is a tremendous commitment to ask of UT at this point in time.


Remember, I've told you countless times here that the big $$$ folks here have vowed to everyone concerned about Tennessee football that they will get it right.


From where I sit offering Jon Gruden that kind of deal at Tennessee is a profound risk. It's not the same thing as Bama offering Saban that uber dollar deal several years back. Saban was a proven coaching commodity when Alabama gave him the world. Gruden at this level with a guaranteed $50 million contract and a guaranteed $4-5 million per year for his assistants is a tremendous risk to a place already feeling the economic crunch. And, unlike Saban (I use Saban because St. Nick is always mentioned as the reason UT needs to get in the football business) Gruden, though a huge personality and public relations coup, is not a sure thing in terms of success at this level. And remember UT has concerns about his temperament playing at the major college level.


I'll give the folks at UT (including Dave Hart) lots of credit. The ball is moving down the track and they are proceeding as one unified voice right now. Good stuff.

 

[phowell23]

The thing is if these reports are correct, he isn't asking an outrageous number for his pay. Saban and Mack Brown (Texas) make more than that annually and if Saban stays at Alabama for the next 10 years he'll be making much more when all things are said and done.

However, he's asking a ton of money for assistants. This would secure a high caliber OC and a high caliber DC. You think we are going to get Ron Zook as DC for less than $1 million per year? Not only that, but you can secure some high caliber LB, OL, DL, DB, Special Team coaches as well. There shouldn't be a weak coach here with that type of money.

 

[Jax_Vol]

Sure...$50 million...$500 million...whatever it takes

 

[tm3]

You cannot put a price tag on immediate national relevance again. Recruits would be falling all over themselves to make OVs and he could sign top 5 classes every year.

concur. JG would be the kind of splash hire that we so desperately need. his recruiting would be off the charts. fanbase would love him.

for a couple of years. then, he would have to have more than charisma. he would have to be able to put together and maintain a quality staff that works well as a team. he would have to pick the right players for his system, and he would have to have an effective system.

ultimately, this would all have to translate into wins. that is the bottom line. that is the question for the long term. JG could probably do it, but there is no money back guarantee -- not with JG, not with satan, not with stoops, not with anybody. UT is a tough gig.

but to answer the question, imo you pay whatever it takes. this is big business, not a sport.

 

[golfballs]

That contract would tie the fate of UT's program to this one man. Risky, IMO

 

[utvolpj]

they need to announce this at least 2 weeks before Christmas so they can see the UT gear start moving off the shelf again. Then think about the crowd for the O&W game and ticket sales next season. They are going to make the money up with this hire

 

[phowell23]

They could probably counter with a 6 year deal of $5.25 million per year and potential bonuses or extra years of contract if we are competing in SEC Championships or have top 10 finishes.