Steelers Rumors: Arthur Smith Withdraws From UNC Football HC Job Offer | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats and Rumors

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has stepped down to apply for the vacant position in North Carolina, according to NFL Network. Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport reported Sunday that Smith “recently informed UNC that he should not be considered as a candidate.”

Black-smith confirmed Thursday that his alma mater made preliminary contact after firing Mack Brown as head coach. He maintained his commitment to the Steelers and said he “has one of the best jobs in football right now.”

Smith was an offensive lineman for the Tar Heels and became a graduate assistant under then-head coach John Bunting in 2006. The idea that he might return to Chapel Hill made sense in theory.

There is It’s been a belief for a long time. that North Carolina can also become a major power on the field. The school has many resources and is located in a talent-rich region of the country.

Brown’s second tenure with the Heels, which saw them make a bowl game in each of his first five seasons, could serve as the basis for something more.

In general, coaches with good NFL experience might be less inclined than ever to move down to the college ranks.

In comparison, permanent recruiting makes working in the NFL less demanding and less time-consuming. The NCAA’s loosening of transfer rules has only reinforced this perception, as coaches no longer have the same assurances about who will be on their roster from one season to the next.

Jeff Hafley, who left Boston College in January to become the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, hinted before his departure due to his frustration with becoming a “general manager” in BC as much as he was a coach.

ESPN Pete Thamel cited a source who developed this annoyance.

“He wants to go back to coaching football in a league all about football,” the source said, referring to Hafley. “College coaching has become fundraising, NIL and recruiting your own team and transfers. We don’t have time to coach football anymore.

“A lot of the things he went back to college for are gone.”

Presumably other coaches feel the same way, and Smith could be one of them.

In the 42-year-old’s case, he may not need to move up to become a head coach again either. Rapoport said he was “likely to be considered” by NFL teams looking for a new coach this offseason.