Gruden to Visit Knoxville Before Tennessee-Kentucky Game
The former Tennessee assistant will be in town for the November 7 matchup against Kentucky, which kicks off at 6:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Football
Jon Gruden is scheduled to visit Knoxville for the Tennessee vs. Kentucky football game on November 7, 2026. He announced the trip in a video reviewing notes from his 1986 season as a Tennessee graduate assistant.
Why it matters
Gruden's visit draws attention to his ties to Tennessee football, where he began his coaching career. The game itself carries weight for both programs, with Tennessee ranked No. 16 and Kentucky ranked No. 7 entering the matchup.
Tennessee enters at 7-1 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, while Kentucky is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in conference games. The series has been contested 123 times since 1893, and the extraction does not specify the stakes beyond the rankings.
The players
Jon Gruden
Former NFL head coach who won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later led the Raiders in two stints, now creating football content for Barstool Sports.
Tennessee Volunteers
The University of Tennessee football program, where Gruden began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1986.
The details
Gruden announced his Knoxville visit in an online video in which he skimmed typed-out pages of notes from the Thursday before the 1986 Tennessee-Kentucky game. He currently creates football content for Barstool Sports and has recently visited several other college programs.
Timeline
1986-1987: Gruden serves as a graduate assistant at Tennessee under Johnny Majors.
2012: Gruden is rumored as a Tennessee head coaching candidate but stays at ESPN.
2017: Gruden is again rumored for the Tennessee job.
October 2025: Gruden speaks at the Knoxville Quarterback Club about his past interest in the job.
November 7, 2026: Tennessee plays Kentucky at 6:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Coaching Ties
Gruden's repeated links to the Tennessee job, first in 2012 when he chose to stay at ESPN and again in 2017, frame this visit as part of a longer pattern. The extraction does not indicate whether the trip signals any new interest in a coaching role.
Fans attending or watching the November 7 game will see a rivalry with a 123-game history, and the outcome could shape standings math in the SEC race. Viewers can tune in on ESPN at 6:15 p.m. ET for kickoff.
The takeaway
Gruden's Knoxville trip is a reminder that his connection to Tennessee football dates back nearly four decades. Readers following the program can watch how the November 7 result affects both teams' conference outlooks.
What happens next
Tennessee and Kentucky meet on November 7, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, the scheduled date of Gruden's visit.
Further reading
For more on the program Gruden once helped as a young assistant, see Football coverage of Knoxville's college scene.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Jackson Sun.
