Jon Gruden received his second gift box from a Connecticut college football program this offseason, unloading a haul from the New Haven Chargers program Monday afternoon.
New Haven, the most recent college football program to join the FCS ranks, finished 5-5 in its debut Division I season and elected to re-sign interim coach Mark Powell to a 3-year contract. Grudn, the Barstool Sports personality endorsed this hiring decision, extolling Powell's achievements as a defensive coach at previous Division I stops.
"I love this guy, Mark Powell. He was a hell of a defensive coach at Mississippi State," Gruden said in a video posted to his X account, which showed him opening Powell's gift box. "A few years ago, they were in the top 10 in every phase of defense."
We got a great box from New Haven, CT!!! It's the New Haven Chargers!
- Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) February 23, 2026
They're a new D1 program and they are on the rise, man!
Thank you to Coach Powell and @UNewHavenFB for sending this stuff!! Even though it's weird to say as an ex-Raider... Let's go Chargers!! pic.twitter.com/yZ4JbmwtZD
Gruden received a similar box from newly appointed UConn football coach Jason Candle earlier this winter, with the former NFL head coach able to rattle off a remarkable list of Huskies alums who played professionally. New Haven's five-decade history at the Division II and Division III levels presented fewer options for Gruden to name, but he was able to identify the Chargers' most prominent alumni in Tony Sparano, who served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2008 to 2011.
Powell delivered quite a bountiful box Gruden's way, which included a Chargers helmet, a New Haven jersey and several team-branded T-shirts and hats. The Connecticut school's head coach also included a pair of letters in his delivery, advertising his Chargers team as being full of "Gruden grinders."
After receiving the box, Gruden dedicated some time to watching New Haven game film from their Division I debut, with the Chargers able to score stellar wins over Albany and Merrimack. Gruden, famous for his quarterback mentorship seminars ahead of the NFL Draft, walked away particularly impressed with Chargers gunslinger, who threw 23 touchdowns in 2025.
"They've got a heck of a quarterback there, I'm not kidding you," Gruden said. "His name is AJ Duffy, he threw for about 2,500 yards."
The Chargers will face a major non-conference test early into the 2026 season, scheduled to face off against perennial FCS powerhouses South Dakota State on Sept. 12 after opening the season against Marist at home. Outside of Northeast-10 play, New Haven will also face off against regional rivals Brown and Austin Peay, Powell's former school.
This article originally published at Jon Gruden opens gift box from Connecticut's newest D-I football program: 'The freakin' Chargers'.