Jon Gruden’s Blunt Take on College Football Contender: “These Guys Are Bad—” originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden may not be on the sidelines shouting out “Spider 2 Y Banana,” but he is still around football with his role with Barstool Sports.
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As the college football season approaches, Gruden took a trip to Athens, Georgia, to check in on Kirby Smart and his Georgia Bulldogs program. The Bulldogs are looking to build off a season that saw them finish 11-3 after being bounced out of the second round of the College Football Playoffs after securing the No. 2 overall seed in the first-ever 12-team playoff.
Aside from taking in a practice, the Super Bowl-winning coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002) also spoke to the team to offer some advice before the season.
Jon Gruden Sends Warning About Georgia Bulldogs
While the Bulldogs have some talent to replace with 13 players getting drafted, three of whom went in the first round, Gruden is still confident that Smart’s crew will be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.
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In a post that he shared on Facebook, Gruden shared a picture of him watching the practice, and also called the Bulldogs “badass.”
When speaking to the team, Gruden stressed the importance of passion, hard work and buying into the message that the coaching staff is telling the players.
“You know who your biggest opponent is,” Gruden asked. “You. You’re your biggest opponent. Ego, that’s your biggest opponent. Greed, jealousy…You bring your best self in here every night and you’ll see how great you can become.
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“Passion, fire energy,” Gruden added. “I’m looking for it. I always look for those things. I had the scouts look for it. I wanted to sign players that had it. All my coaches had to have it. Don’t be afraid to showcase your emotion man, get excited for the guy next to you. What kind of dawgs are we? I think that’s a big question. We got to do this together, we got to run as a pack man. You gotta believe in the program. Buy in where you can become all you can become.”
Georgia Bulldogs football head coach Kirby Smart© Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Georgia Lined Up To Dominate Again in 2025, But It Won’t Be Easy
According to ESPN’s FPI, the Bulldogs rank as the No. 2 team in college football, and have the second-best chance (17.9%) of winning the title. While they have the talent on the roster, with 84% of the roster being made up of blue-chip recruits, a mark that is the second-highest in college football, they will have a tough path to the title.
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ESPN’s FPI views them as having the No. 8 hardest schedule in college football, and they also return just 45% of their production, which ranks No. 105 in the country.
So, in order to reach their full potential and be the “badasses” Gruden thinks they can be, they will need new faces to step up in a big way, and to navigate an SEC conference that is as deep as it’s ever been.
Easier said than done, but considering they’ve won the championship in two of the last four seasons, the Bulldogs have shown they have the pedigree to do just that.
Related: Bill Belichick Steals Another Recruit From SEC Powerhouse
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
