The news of North Carolina alum Arthur Smith heading back to Chapel Hill is picking up steam. One day after an Athletic article loosely suggested Smith as a candidate for the soon-to-be vacant Tar Heels job, another report indicates Smith has serious interest in taking a college coaching job. Few opportunities would be better than getting to go back to where he began his college coaching career.
Per FootballScoop’s John Brice, two sources indicate Smith has a desire to return to the college ranks.
“Two different sources tell FootballScoop that Arthur Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator, would have an interest in a return to collegiate coaching after 15 years in the NFL.”
The report doesn’t specifically indicate North Carolina has interest in hiring Smith. FootballScoop may not be well-known to those who follow the NFL but have shown to be a reputable source for college coaching news.
Arthur Smith played offensive line for North Carolina before becoming the school’s grad assistant in 2006. He spent just a season there before getting hired by the NFL by the Washington Redskins as a quality control coach, a position he held for two years. Smith returned to college in 2010 for a season at Ole Miss before landing back in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans in 2011. He’s been in the pros ever since, moving up the ladder to offensive coordinator by 2019.
His success there led him to get hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their head coach in 2021. His three-year stint there didn’t pan out, Smith going 7-10 in each season before getting fired following the 2023 campaign. Pittsburgh hired him as its newest offensive coordinator in February. He signed a three-year contract, typical for a Steelers’ coordinator job.
Smith has led the Steelers to the 14th-ranked scoring offense this season, a better standing than the offense has had the past three seasons. But he’s come under scrutiny the last two weeks, especially following the team’s 24-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh’s red zone offense ranks 30th and could hold the Steelers back from going on a playoff run.
Per FootballScoop, Arthur Smith is one of many names considered early candidates for the job. Others include former Florida head coach Dan Mullen, Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell, and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall.
The Tar Heels are moving on from Mack Brown after this season. Hired in 2019, North Carolina is just 6-5 this season and has suffered multiple ugly losses. James Madison blew UNC out 70-50 in September, the start of a four-game skid that included losses to Pitt, Duke, and Georgia Tech.
If the Steelers lose Smith, they would have to hire their third full-time coordinator in as many years. They also had RBs coach Eddie Faulkner serve as interim offensive coordinator with then-QBs coach Mike Sullivan calling the plays after firing Matt Canada last November.
Smith is slated to speak with the media tomorrow afternoon.
