Gruden to Miami would be manna for starving ACC
If Miami hires Jon Gruden, he would instantly become the biggest personality in the ACC.
Let me start by saying I’m just not convinced Jon Gruden will take the University of Miami coaching job. He probably can have any vacant NFL job he wants and the thought of him hitting the recruiting trail and begging some 18-year-old kid to come to his school just doesn’t register.
But you know what? Every ACC school should help pay Gruden’s salary to get him to Coral Gables.
John Swofford, the conference commissioner, should throw in a log cabin.
Butch Davis should loan him his personal tutor.
The SEC championship is this week. Everybody cares. The ACC championship is this week. Nobody cares.
Do you know why? Coaches.
Yes, the SEC is the annual college football behemoth and the conference title game has been the gateway for the BCS champion in the last four years (Auburn could make it five). But one of the major reasons the conference garners so much attention during the season — and commands astronomical television dollars — are the coaches.
What other conference can throw out Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, Bobby Petrino, Mark Richt and Steve Spurrier? Whether you like these guys or not, they are names everybody knows. They are personalities. They are storylines.
Look at even the second tier of “names”: Gene Chizik (who is 12-0), Derek Dooley (likable son of legendary Vince Dooley), Dan Mullen (suddenly one of the hottest coaches on the market), Houston Nutt (sure he orchestrated the spectacular disaster of signing Jeremiah Masoli, but we talk about him).
Quick. Name three ACC coaches other than Paul Johnson. I’ll wait.
Still waiting.
Let’s look at the ACC title matchup: Frank Beamer, a legend, vs. Jimbo Fisher, who replaced a legend (Bobby Bowden). Does either have the personality of Spurrier — or, for that matter, Chizik, who’s been entertaining to watch and listen to during the Cam Newton saga?
Here are your other ACC coaches: Ralph Friedgen, Jim Grobe, Tom O’Brien, Frank Spaziani, David Cutcliffe, Butch Davis, Dabo Swinney and Mike London.
Don’t worry. They wear name tags at the convention every year.
There’s a saying: a rising tide lifts all boats. Look at Miami as the tide. It’s one of the ACC’s centerpiece programs for football. If Miami is good, it draws attention and forces every other team to get better. If Miami hires Gruden, it helps the conference’s visibility and that filters down to other schools, particularly when it comes to media coverage and revenue.
Gruden to Miami? I still doubt it. But it would be the talk of college football — and when’s the last time that happened in the ACC?
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130 comments Add your comment
Mike Gundy
December 1st, 2010
12:57 pm
I’m A Man…….I’m Over 40 and I would like a chance to be the Next Ex-Ok State Coach to Make it big in Miami…………Everything Else Is GARBAGE!
JSS
December 1st, 2010
1:01 pm
Enjoy phony poster, your moment in the sun is so fleeting…
George O'Leary
December 1st, 2010
1:02 pm
How about giving me a second chance at the ACC? I’m better than that little ugly midget!
dawgfacedboy
December 1st, 2010
1:04 pm
John Gruden would win a NC in 3 years there if not in 2. He would compete for the NC every year after he wins it. He would be able to recruit any player he wanted in the country. Go play for The U in Miami Florida for Jon Gruden? Where do I sign coach?!?!?! You think Saban is big at Bama?!?!?
Starvin Marvin
December 1st, 2010
1:04 pm
How about Marvin Lewis in Miami………….he most certainly will be looking for a job soon after Team Obliterator(T.O.)finishes will the Bungles and Coach Lewis!
Pistol Pete
December 1st, 2010
1:08 pm
Give Me a couple of years in Seattle and I will be ready to take the Canes over!
dawgfacedboy
December 1st, 2010
1:09 pm
You can look at Chris Peterson 2 ways.
1) Continue to dominate a cupcake schedule and be in the National spotlight every year as the darkhorse for a shot at the title. Not much pressure because of the schedule you play. Have a statue erected of you after you win an insane amount of games.
2) The ego that drives most coaches persuades him to take a big time job for big time money and big time expectations and pressure. Personally I think he will be successful anywhere he goes because I believe he is a very good coach.
I think sooner or later he will choose option 2.
Bug Zapper
December 1st, 2010
1:10 pm
I say he should hold out for the UGA job!…,..lol….
BREAKING NEWS
December 1st, 2010
1:11 pm
NCAA rules Auburn’s Cam Newton is eligible to compete (updated)
There are no penalties against Auburn or Newton, and no wins are in jeopardy.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/12/ncaa_rules_auburns_cam_newton.html
GStateBen
December 1st, 2010
1:14 pm
Jeff, If Gruden is introduced at the U, I’ll let you come run PantherTalk.com for the day.
Never going to happen, he used the Notre dame and USC jobs to leverage more money out of ESPN last year and is doing the same this year. Negoitating power with the 4 letter network is a wonderful thing. Miami cannot afford him. Period.
Spike
December 1st, 2010
1:16 pm
Jeff, you are trying to make something interesting out of something that is certainly not interesting, i.e. ACC football. Nice try. Mr. Collge Football tries, and fails, also. So don’t feel too badly. Yawn.
Rehire Butch
December 1st, 2010
1:16 pm
Butch Davis should bolt from Carolina and PUT HIS NAME BACK IN THE HURRICANE HAT!He Rebuilt the Canes after the Denis Erickson Fiasco and left a Championship Team to Larry “What’s His Name”Coker…..Sure Butch is having Health and NCAA Problems but Sunny Miami might just be the Right Hat Trick!
JB
December 1st, 2010
1:18 pm
Jeff, your kidding….Lack of Big name coach’s. The smartest, greatest football coach on earth is in the ACC…..He’s at Tech…..Never punting…..Crafty passing game he pulls out late to win games…do a little research and visit the flats….OMG, where have you been.. !
The Producer
December 1st, 2010
1:20 pm
The Media would love it. That’s why the ACC needs this deal to happen. Two markee names: Jon Gruden and The University of Miami (The U)……
Blue
December 1st, 2010
1:23 pm
Don’t think he will succeed at college level. He does NOT like young players (known of him in NFL). And not sure he can ratchet down the intensity level enough to not scare the HELL out of most of his players. Man…that scowl…it is EPIC…
Dawg man
December 1st, 2010
1:23 pm
Gruden is too classy for Miami, Richt would fit perfect with all his “All-jail ” recruits. Richt would bring back the “bad-boy” image of Miami
Blue
December 1st, 2010
1:24 pm
PS…his son is a senior in high school next year, Chucky is getting paid by Tampa Bay still as well. I think it will be another year before he will do anything.
GT man
December 1st, 2010
1:26 pm
JB, that was a good one. Two years in a row, he blows a chance to beat ga. Last year it was the deep passes on last series, this year, Allen is running all over ga. and he lets Washington run twice, then pass. Maybe he’ll go to Miami
Spike
December 1st, 2010
1:32 pm
Da U isn’t interested in the smartest coach in the world, CPJ? Wow, imagine that!!
StraightJacket
December 1st, 2010
1:35 pm
Mr. Schultz, my reference to “manna” was a metaphorical leap based on your headline. But it just occurred to me that a H.S. journalism teacher once told me that EDITORS write headlines; NOT reporters / columnists. Sorry if you missed connecting-the-dots, but based on your headline … and your last name …. and your past story about your Mom, I thought I was making sense. Sorry.
Anyway, Miami is a small, private school with barely more than 10,000 undergrads. The sidewalk fanbase IS everywhere, but even the local ones are fickle. Money has been an issue in recent years, as evidenced by their move to the ACC to get basketball dollars, their “average” football facilities for an “elite” program, and the absurd situation they have for a home stadium. And, .. oh yes, … they were paying “bottom dollar” to their football coach until last year. WHY? Lack of money.
Now, all of a sudden, Miami is ROLLING in money and can afford a new football coach? Wow! I guess NEXT week, we’ll be hearing about how they’re going to add an ON-Campus football stadium!
Who knows. …. maybe Miami has their own Boone Pickens or Phil Knight guy that we haven’t heard about and now Shalalalalallla has blank checks she can write.
We’ll see….
Turner is a Douchebag
December 1st, 2010
1:52 pm
y’all can keep that turd. he is too soft and a fraud to be in charge of the U.
Clemson Fan
December 1st, 2010
1:58 pm
Does Dabo Swinney not count as a head coach in the ACC??
Ted Striker
December 1st, 2010
1:58 pm
Gruden going to the ACC would be one way of trumping the SEC. Because none of the SEC head coaches have done squat in the pros.
Lucky Bucky
December 1st, 2010
2:12 pm
Word on the street is Shala is courting Mr. Barry Alvarez to come back to her. .. in Miami
wxwax
December 1st, 2010
2:18 pm
An ACC final between two name schools like FSU and VaTech helps the conference.
That’s a match-up which harkens back to the good old days for the conference and will pique the public’s interest.
As for personalities, please don’t tell me you’re claiming that Saban has a personality? Or Meyer? Both are platitude-spewing automatons with a nasty bent. What they do is win.
Claude Musselman
December 1st, 2010
2:30 pm
I see what you’re saying, Jeff, but should a distinction be made between “good for the ACC” and good for the marketing/PR goals of the folks at ACC headquarters? I really doubt a Clemson fan or Va. Tech fan or FSU fan is thinking, “Man, I hope the ‘Canes get a really good coach. It’ll be tougher on my team, but that’s okay if the image of the conference is elevated.” Journalists are justified in writing about and evaluating a whole product like ACC football, but I think the good-for-the-conference angle is overplayed as a high majority of fans are mainly worried about their team getting theirs.
Nut Job
December 1st, 2010
2:30 pm
While the ACC has lost most of its glamour, I still believe VT vs. FSU is a good match up and I will definitely be watching it (b/c I’m an FSU fan lol)
That being said, the ACC has some of the best games on T.V. Many close games that fun to watch. AS FSU continues to get better, so will the ACC. FSU vs. VT is one of the ACC Championship games the Conference higher ups had in mind when they added teams to the conference. If Florida continues to struggle, FSU will be there to catch all of the talent falling off the ship. As FSU gets better, so will the ACC. If Miami gets a good hire for Head Coach, they will also get better, which will in turn better the ACC even more.
Conferences go through ups and downs like everything else. The ACC will be back. Maybe not to the level of the SEC anytime soon, but it will be back on the map soon enough.
Just remember, (and I hate what ifs but still) had VT not lost to Boise State and James Madison, they would be in the BCS title game over Oregon or Auburn since they were ranked higher at the beginning of the year.
Spike
December 1st, 2010
2:35 pm
Nut job.. Uhhh, the ACC has never had any glamour to lose.
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December 1st, 2010
2:43 pm
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Sorry Humpers, I got bad news for you: outside of the SEC and Colorado no one knows who Richt is.
December 1st, 2010
2:50 pm
And the only reason they know in Colorado is their sorry coach beat him.
Old Dawg
December 1st, 2010
2:53 pm
I’d really like to see Gruden stay in the broadcast booth. His work is superior to any else, especially his sense of humor and analytical skills. If he’s making decent bank, why hassle with recruiting, babysitting players and bowing to university presidents and drunk boosters?
Nut Job
December 1st, 2010
2:56 pm
Spike
December 1st, 2010
2:35 pm
Nut job.. Uhhh, the ACC has never had any glamour to lose.
I’m pretty sure there was a time where FSU and Miami were top tier teams. I could be mistaken though. VT is pretty tough also. Not near the level of the SEC or Big 12 (10) but still a much better conference several years ago then right now.
Dick Vermeil
December 1st, 2010
3:03 pm
Sorry Guys but Chucky is a NFL guy, through and through. (He’s going to stay in NFL broadcasting for awhile like me then go back to the NFL) He wouldn’t lower himself to go to the “U”. I’m predicting that college football mercenary that We love to hate in Atlanta will take the job. The man that in college football is second only to Lane Kiffin. Bobby Petrino! You heard it here! I win the steak dinner!
No way
December 1st, 2010
3:03 pm
He’s not going to any college. He will sit out another year and go back into pros. Unless JJones can somehow offer him a chest of $’s and get him as a Cowboy.
Jimmy Johnson
December 1st, 2010
3:08 pm
Gruden is too smart to coach for the facelift queen in Dallas; Jones and Gruden would kill each other. I could see Dan Mullen taking the job though, he would dominate the ACC.
Spike
December 1st, 2010
3:10 pm
Nut job, ok I will give you FSU. Miami, not so much, because they did not join the ACC until recently, well after their glory years. But one team, i.e.FSU does not make the ACC glamourus.
loki
December 1st, 2010
3:12 pm
And Bama did what to VT in Atlanta two years ago and they are in what conference.
Jeff Schultz Fan
December 1st, 2010
3:12 pm
Jeff: I don`t see this as being much of a story. I realize that its a slow week until the bowl selections are made; however could you not find something more interesting to Atlanta fans? Maybe a story about how the
SEC and or ACC basketball seasons will play out.
juvenal
December 1st, 2010
3:19 pm
JB, you don’t like your coach, either…fact is, just not a lot of coaches out there, unless some young guns start moving up……..
Commonsense
December 1st, 2010
3:33 pm
The ACC is the laughing stock of college football. The ACC should send the Big East a Christmas gift for keeping them out of the “worst BCS conference of all-time” conversations. Both should be stripped of their automatic BCS bowl bid.
Dick Vermeil
December 1st, 2010
3:34 pm
ESPN NCAAF – Joe Schad: Source says there is “zero” chance that Jon Gruden will accept the Miami coaching job
OH SNAP!
Can We pull this pointless article now?
hahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 1st, 2010
3:39 pm
I thought Paul “Moobs” Johnson was the next big thing? Why isn’t anyone throwing the kitchen sink at him? Hmm…….could it be because he sucks a$$ and literally robbed GT? LOL!!!!!
gg
December 1st, 2010
3:40 pm
WRONG! What you’re saying is what they said when FSU and Miami and Va. Tech joined the ACC, and look what happened. Instead of those three teams pulling the ACC up, the ACC pulled them down. So there’s no way one coach will pull an entire conference up! None!
T3
December 1st, 2010
3:45 pm
Back in March 2010, I predicted that
Mike Leach would end up at either Maryland or Miami.
Why Maryland:
Mike Leach is very clsoe personal friends with Kevin Plank, Chairman of UnderArmour Corporation, a Maryland alumnus and former Maryland football player.
Miami:
When Leach left Lubbock, TX he immedaitely went to Key West where he has been for months. Leach is close friends with Donald Trump who strongly recommmend to Miami to hire Leach way back in 2006, instead of promoting Shannon.
Well, here we are, 4 years later, in the post-Shannon era.
Maryland has already agreed to give Ralph Friedgen
one more year at Maryland.
So, its now or never for Miami.
MARK IT DOWN;
Miami will hire Leach…very soon.
Trump is gonna make sure of it this time. Trump has even reportedly sent a written note to the Miami presdient to hire Leach immediately.
Miami Athletics DESPARATELY needs LOTS of money,
and Trump has plenty of it.
If Miami hires Leach, Trump will likely donate tens of millions
of BADLY needed dollars to the Miami Athletics program.
Jon Gruden cant do that for Miami.
So long Gruden.
Hello Mike Leach
wes
December 1st, 2010
3:45 pm
I think it’s pretty obvious by now that the ACC is the Grim Reaper of college football. To the programs, the coaches, the players, etc., it just destroys whatever is perceived as talent.
Hal
December 1st, 2010
3:46 pm
I think oversigning recruits is a bigger reason the SEC is sucessful. A larger fan base in a smaller section of the country with a mild climate helps. Les Miles, Gene whatever his name is and Mark Richt are not names you hear outside the south. It’s the big TV contract the money involved with insuring ESPN hype will get a good return on its investment. That is what has lifted the SEC. That has placed greater distance between it and the ACC not coaches. Football is not quantum physics it just feels that way when you loose.
duffy
December 1st, 2010
3:52 pm
I don’t think Miami is relevent any more. Fan base is terrible and who wants to drive 30 miles to the stadium? Too many other D-1 schools in Florida for the “U” to compete against. The magic is gone, ain’t coming back even if Knute Rockne was the coach. VT and FSU are the powers now in the ACC.
Spike
December 1st, 2010
3:54 pm
Hal.. Something is really wrong when you mention quantum physics and then say “loose” in the same sentence.
Snarky
December 1st, 2010
4:03 pm
Wow, where to start….
The ACC coaches are some of the best and most respected in the business given the facilities and smaller schools they have. Beamer is well-respected and liked and produces year-in and year-out. Jimbo Fisher has done terrific in less than a year and was heavily recruited by Saba, He’s well-known if only for being Bowden’s replacement. Johnson, and O’Brian. Grobe has done wonders for WF until this past season and is widely respected within his profession for being one of the best college football coaches in the NCAA. Check his offer sheet over the past several years. And Butch Davis, although we don’t like a cheater…re:SEC. And if you don’t know Friedgen, being from Atlanta, well you Schulktzie have lost ALL CREDIBILITY with this crap.
No, these ACC don’t have BIG names like the SEC simply because they don’t have the tarnished records of SEC coaches and aren’t scrutinized in the media everyday for being investigated or on proboation (at least one SEC on probation every year since the 1960’s (Hall@uf and Bama and soon to be awbarn). Yep, we need another Kiffin or Petrino or Phat Phil.
Whatever.
Finally, the ACC championship. Yes, true college fans care that two premier teams are playing. One of which dominated the SEC gaturds for many years and did so again last Saturday. Both of which would beat all but maybe one or two of your mighty SEC teams. Take your SEC bias down a notch.
No, the ACC doesn’t need another clown like the SEC to be a big name. We want another well-respected and great coach.
SEC coaches are cheaters (awbarn – chicz-whatever), back-stabbers (Saban), has-beens (Spurrier), wannabees (richt), or just plain scum (petrino) or a nutt case. And dooley? Pulease.
npgator
December 1st, 2010
4:19 pm
This story is spot on!