LSU’s coaching search has dominated headlines since Brian Kelly’s dismissal on October 26, following a disappointing 34-14 tenure that failed to deliver an SEC championship.
The Tigers’ vacancy is one of several high-profile openings this fall, alongside jobs at Florida, Penn State, Arkansas, Auburn, and UCLA.
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin remains the leading candidate, with former LSU assistant Joe Brady and retired Alabama coach Nick Saban also near the top of the list.
However, the surprise development this week was Jon Gruden’s sudden rise in the odds, listed at +900 behind only Kiffin, Brady, Saban, and Tulane’s Jon Sumrall.
ICYMI: Lane Kiffin’s future gets spicier 👀🔥
Bovada now lists him as the FAVORITE for the LSU job at +300.
Brady, Sumrall, Saban trail. Drinkwitz & Dillingham absent 😳🐯
MORE HERE 👉 https://t.co/IIJebrCh8B pic.twitter.com/COHEmWUXmd
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) November 20, 2025
Gruden, 62, is best known for the success he saw in the NFL.
He compiled a 122-116 overall record across 15 seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders (formerly Oakland Raiders) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, highlighted by a Super Bowl XXXVII win in 2002 with Tampa Bay.
However, Gruden has never been a college head coach, with his only collegiate experience coming as a graduate assistant at Tennessee (1986-87), passing game coordinator at Southeast Missouri State (1988), and tight ends coach at Pacific (1989).
Former NFL Coach Jon Gruden have a laugh while attending an NFL training camp session ten at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Florida. / Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Since resigning from the Raiders in 2021 amid the email scandal, Gruden has remained on the periphery of football.
He briefly consulted for the New Orleans Saints in 2023 and worked with the Milano Seamen in Europe in 2024.
However, in July, Gruden stated publicly, “I’m going to coach again”, signaling his intent to return to the coaching ranks, either at the NFL or college level.
Gruden’s Super Bowl pedigree, name recognition, and expressed desire to coach again have made him a dark-horse candidate for the LSU vacancy, so much so that betting markets now have him in the top five to take the job.
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