There may be life to the chatter that Miami (Fla.) could land former NFL coach Jon Gruden as its replacement to Randy Shannon.  A person with knowledge of the situation told the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that Gruden "definitely still is in play."  The Miami Herald reported that Gruden met with Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt. on Wednesday. According to the paper, the conversation was exploratory and a job offer was not made.  The school tried to downplay any rumors of an imminent hiring by sending an email to reporters.  "Media -- There are no Miami press conferences scheduled for today. Any reports to this extent are inaccurate," it read.  "As we said at the beginning of the process, Kirby Hocutt will not comment on the search for a new head football coach until the process is completed.''  Gruden previously issued a statement through ESPN on Sunday, saying he was focused on his job with the network, but did not specifically deny interest in the Miami vacancy.  "I am committed to Monday Night Football and to ESPN," Gruden said at the time. "I enjoy working with Mike, Jaws and our entire crew and am just trying to get better at this job."  Despite the statement, Gruden and Miami have had discussions in recent days after Gruden initiated contact with the school prior to Shannon being fired, according to the Sun Sentinel. Also Tuesday, the Hurricanes' site Canesport.com, part of the Rivals.com network, reported a deal was imminent, barring last-second glitches.  Gruden is in his second season calling games for ESPN after stints in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders. He won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2002.  He does have college coaching experience with stops at Tennessee, Southeast Missouri State, Pacific and Pittsburgh before becoming an NFL assistant in 1992.  The Sun Sentinel also reported that Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen would be the next target should a deal with Gruden not materialize.  --Erick SmithFollow Erick on Twitter at @erick_smith  See photos of: ESPN, University of Miami  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Paper: Jon Gruden 'definitely still is in play' for Miami job - Campus Rivalry: College Football & Basketball News, Recruiting, Game Picks, and More - USATODAY.com