National Football League

UNC 'reached out' to Steelers OC Arthur Smith about head coach opening

Published Nov. 28, 2024 3:20 p.m. ET

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Saturday's rivalry game at home against the North Carolina State Wolfpack could be Mack Brown's final game as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, as the school announced earlier this week that he won't return for the 2025 college football season; it hasn't been determined if Brown will coach North Carolina in its bowl game.

Could a former North Carolina player, current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, return to his old stomping grounds as head coach?

"Reality is [UNC] reached out on preliminary call. I appreciate it, love that place. But that's not my focus," Smith said on Thursday, according to ESPN. "I mean I've got one of the best jobs in football right now. There's a lot to be said too about [how you] can't put a price on personal and professional happiness, which I have here."

Smith, 42, was an offensive lineman at North Carolina from 2001-05 and a graduate assistant at the school in 2006.

He was then a defensive quality control coach at Washington for two years (2007-08), an administrative assistant at Ole Miss (2010) and had several titles across 10 seasons with the Tennessee Titans (2011-20), including offensive coordinator (2019-20).

Smith is in his first season on Pittsburgh's coaching staff after going 21-30 as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-23. Pittsburgh's offense is averaging 192.8 passing yards (26th in the NFL), 135.2 rushing yards (eighth), 328.0 total yards (18th) and 22.9 points (14th) per game. The Steelers are 8-3, good for first place in the AFC North.

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"I've got an awesome job here," Smith said. "Love it here in Pittsburgh. [I] probably [have] a different mindset than I had five, four years ago where any head job, I probably would've walked there to take it. Now my perspective's different, and when you got something good like I got here in Pittsburgh right now, family loves it here. I like the working environment, love being a Steeler."

As for North Carolina's outgoing coach, Brown is finishing off his second stint as the Tar Heels' head coach, with the program 6-5 (3-4 in the ACC) this season and a combined 44-32 across six seasons (2019-24). In Brown's previous stint with the program (1988-97), North Carolina went a combined 69-46, including three 10-win seasons.

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