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Christopher Boan writes for BetOhio.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Jon Gruden Next Coaching Job Odds for 2026
It’s been nearly four years since former Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland and Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was fired for off-field reasons, with the Super Bowl-winning coach most recently serving as an advisor for the Milano Seamen of the European League of Football in 2024.
More recently than that, though, Gruden’s been in the spotlight as the host of football shows for the team at Barstool Sports, though he’s never written off getting back on the sidelines, either in the NFL or as a college coach for the first time.
While we don’t expect much movement on the Gruden job front this year across Ohio sports betting, it’s never too early to take a look at where the 62-year-old may wind up next football season, which is why BetOhio.com compiled some hypothetical odds on where the Sandusky native will coach next.
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Odds for Jon Gruden's Next Move
Job | Odds | Percent Chance |
Stay with Barstool Sports | +475 | 17.4% |
Auburn Head Coach | +900 | 10.0% |
Arkansas Head Coach | +1000 | 9.1% |
Kentucky Head Coach | +1000 | 9.1% |
Virginia Tech Head Coach | +1250 | 7.4% |
Florida Head Coach | +1250 | 7.4% |
Oklahoma Head Coach | +1250 | 7.4% |
Miami Dolphins Head Coach | +2000 | 4.8% |
Indianapolis Colts Head Coach | +2000 | 4.8% |
The Field | +350 | 22.2% |
Odds provided by BetOhio.com and not available on Ohio sports betting apps.
Where Does Jon Gruden Go Next?
Auburn +900
While Gruden made his name as an NFL head coach, he did start his career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee, which could entice him to join Bill Belichick as a first-time college coach, which is why we’re giving him the best odds of winding up in the college ranks next.
While the Volunteers appear set long term on the sidelines with Josh Heupel leading the show in Knoxville, the same cannot be said of other SEC programs, such as Auburn, which has skidded to a 11-14 record in two years under Hugh Freeze, with a Music City Bowl loss in 2023 being the only postseason results to show for their experiment with the former Ole Miss and Liberty head coach. That’s why we’re giving Gruden the best odds (outside of staying at Barstool Sports, at +475) of winding up on the Plains, with Auburn holding +900 odds of landing him when they hire a head coach again (whenever that may be), while two other struggling SEC programs (Arkansas and Kentucky) are next in line, at +1000 apiece.
Arkansas +1000; Kentucky +1000
The Razorbacks have stagnated under Sam Pittman’s leadership in Fayetteville, going from the glory of a 9-4 campaign and an Outback Bowl win in 2021 to two 7-6 finishes in 2022 and 2024 and a 4-8 dud in 2023, while Kentucky’s done much the same under Mark Stoops, falling from the consistency of reaching a bowl game in eight straight seasons to a 4-8 season in 2024, potentially opening the door for change in Lexington.
Other College Options
Other college jobs to keep an eye on include Virginia Tech, Florida and Oklahoma, at +1250 apiece, as the Hokies slug through the Brent Pry era, with a 7-6 result in 2023 being the high-water mark of Pry’s three-year run in Blacksburg, while the Gators are left to wonder whether Billy Napier is the right man for the job in Gainesville, with the former Louisiana head coach going 6-7, 5-7 and 8-5 in three seasons leading the SEC stalwarts.
Finally, the Sooners are coming up on decision time as to whether former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is their long-term solution on the sidelines, after going 6-7, 10-3 and 6-7 in three seasons in Norman, giving Gruden another SEC program to keep on his radar, potentially, in the coming months.
Can Gruden Return To NFL?
Outside of that, keep an eye on two NFL clubs, in the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, who round out our Gruden odds board at +2000 apiece, as the former looks to snap its 17-year division title drought in 2025 under Mike McDaniel, while the latter’s looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2020 in 2025 under head coach Shane Steichen, who is 17-17 in two seasons with the franchise.
Of course, it's worth noting Gruden and the NFL are headed to court over his Raiders dismissal, a looming factor for any organization that may look to hire him. That said, Gruden clearly has deep relationships across the league from ownership to coaches. This summer, he's visited both the Jaguars and Lions during training camp.
Finally, keep an eye on ‘the field’ in Gruden’s case, as we could very well see him join others in taking on an analyst role at the NCAA level, including Joe Judge and Rob Chudzinski, potentially giving him a way to dip his toe into the coaching game again without having to be the face of an NCAA program or NFL club.
With the NFL regular season nearly here, bookmark BetOhio.com's Bengals Super Bowl Odds page before Week 1.
USA Today image by Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union.
Q&A: Jon Gruden Speculation
Gruden has odds for several SEC and ACC programs, including Auburn (+900), Arkansas (+1000), Kentucky (+1000), Virginia Tech (+1250), and Florida (+1250).
Yes. The  Miami Dolphins (+2000) and Indianapolis Colts (+2000) are listed as possible landing spots, though each carries less than a 5% implied probability.
Jon Gruden has a +475 betting line (17.4% chance) to remain with Barstool Sports throughout 2026 instead of returning to coaching. While it is the overall favorite job on the betting market, there is an 82.6% chance of Gruden going elsewhere.
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