WATCH: Kentucky HC Mark Pope surprises former Raiders HC Jon Gruden with Wildcats swag ahead of March Madness

NFL: Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - Source: Imagn

With March Madness looming, plenty of people are getting ready to enjoy the showdown, and one of them is former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, whom Kentucky head coach Mark Pope sent a Wildcat package.

Gruden, always full of energy, posted a clip of himself unboxing the package sent by Pope and the Kentucky basketball team. This video was posted on X on Thursday, with Gruden showing the gifts that included jackets, a pair of basketball shorts, and several hats.

The clip started with someone presenting the delivery to Gruden, who declared his love for Kentucky basketball and told a story about the school’s basketball program.

“Is this a freaking tradition or what, man?” Gruden said while unboxing the package. “Have you ever been to Rupp Arena? Have you, Clay?, he asked the other person in the clip. “Put it on your bucket list, man. Kentucky Wildcats. This is so cool. NCAA Tournament time, basketball time — is this not freaking legendary?, he said with elation in his voice.

Gruden went on to thank Pope, while also expressing joy that it is time for March Madness.

“Is this not fr**king legendary? I feel like Anthony Davis or John Wall right now. Thank you, Coach Pope. It’s our time of year, playoff time,” he said.

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Gruden then wore one of the hats and jacket, while throwing a football, mimicking basketball players making buckets.

The former NFL coach was the Super Bowl champion (XXXVII) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he also has a Ring of Honor.

Kentucky set to kick off postseason against Oklahoma

NCAA Basketball: Louisiana State at Kentucky - Source: Imagn

The Wildcats will take on Oklahoma at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday to get their SEC Tournament campaign underway.

Kentucky was given a bye for the first round thanks to their respectable finish during the regular season, but will now join the tournament in the second round.

Both teams met just over two weeks ago, with Kentucky edging the game 83-82 thanks to Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beat.

However, Oklahoma will be seeking revenge this time given how heated things got at the end of the last matchup.

The game will be live on the SEC Network.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Gio Vergara