3 offensive analysts Texas could hire to help the team right away

Jay Gruden

What would certainly be a polarizing addition to the analyst staff for the Longhorns this offseason is the former Washington Football Team head coach and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. Hiring someone like Gruden would obviously bring mixed reactions from the Longhorns faithful, but there is still value that he could bring to the table.

The last role that Gruden held at any sort of relevant level of football came as the Jaguars offensive coordinator in 2020. But he was let go along with the rest of the coaching staff under former Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone following a one-win season in 2020.

There was never really any sort of role to speak of that Gruden held at the college football coaching ranks. Essentially every single coaching job he ever held was at the NFL level or some other alternative pro football league.

It doesn’t take long to see the offensive value that Gruden could bring to the table for the Longhorns as an analyst, though. As someone that is likely looking to resurrect his coaching career, he could have a nice shot to do so under a fellow former NFL offensive coordinator and proven mind in Sark.

Gruden was one of the rising offensive coordinators at the NFL level in the early 2010s when he was on staff under former head coach Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals. He consistently improved that Bengals offense in the early 2010s until they peaked as the No. 4 offensive unit in the league in 2013.

Washington also consistently improved in the first three or four years under Gruden on the offensive side of the ball until they peaked as the No. 6 unit in the NFL in 2016. And then, they were still the No. 12 ranked passing offense in the league in 2017.

Gruden could bring a different school of thought to the table for the Longhorns if he would be interested in giving it a try at the college ranks.