Exit Jon Gruden, apparently.

Hate to break more bad news to people who've heard too much lately, but ESPN locked Gruden into a multiyear deal today, which would seem to indicate he's in no hurry to get back on a sideline again -- including Notre Dame's.

This will come as a disappointment to all the Notre Dame fans who were bringing up Gruden's name as a possible successor to Charlie Weis. But it shouldn't.

Gruden, frankly, would be an awful fit for ND. First of all, he's a pro coach, and pro coaches, with a couple of notable exceptions, have tended to be disasters at the college level. They either don't get the college game, or they're just treading water until the next job opens up in the NFL -- and if they're not, they're at least perceived to be treading water until the next job opens up, which amounts to the same thing.

At any rate, the Domers need look no further than their own sideline to see what happens when you hire a coach with a pro background. You've already failed going that route with Weis; why would you want to repeat the mistake?