As the Jon Gruden mania continues to grow in the Volunteer state, OKTC has managed to lock down and confirm at least one rumor that has long circulated on message boards and in conversations among Vol fans.
Does Gruden, whose wife Cindy attended Tennessee while cheerleading at the school, own land in East Tennessee?
The answer, at long last, is yes.
How do we know this?
Via a property search in Jefferson County, Tennessee. (A reader who asked to be anonymous actually tracked down the information for us).
Gruden and his wife own 21.5 acres in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
That's Dandridge, Tennessee to be exact.
There's no home presently on the site, but there is a cleared lot location where a home could be built. (We've had multiple callers this week claim that the Gruden's are planning to build on the site and have been consulting with builders in the area).
According to Google maps this property is about forty miles from Neyland Stadium. Which means it's probably too far to drive there and back while coaching the Vols.
(Immediately the message board response will be, but what if he had a helicopter?)
This information does, however, confirm elements of a conversation that Gruden had with a UT fan who claimed he watched the UT-South Carolina game on his computer while taking notes. Namely, that he owns land in East Tennessee.
The Grudens' owning property in East Tennessee has long been rumored, but up until this point I don't know that anyone has tracked down actual tangible evidence of that fact being true.
Owning land in the area doesn't mean that Gruden will become the next Vols coach, far from it. But it does provide further credence to the idea that Gruden and his family like the East Tennessee area.
Increasingly, in my opinion, Gruden to the Vols is becoming more and more like Urban Meyer to Ohio State.
I've heard about this now from so many different angles -- many of which are very reliable -- to the point that I have zero doubt there's a massive offer to Gruden in place. UT has deployed the dump truck full of cash -- witness the $18 million freed up yesterday -- and put it in front of Chucky.
It's entirely Gruden's decision now. There are no college job fears, it's simply a question of whether Gruden gets an NFL offer he can't resist.
What do I think?
I think "this guy" will be a Vol.
And this video?
It will make you downright giddy.
