North Carolina coaching search: Steelers’ Arthur Smith reveals level of contact with Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels are searching for their next head coach after announcing the end of Mack Brown’s employment in Chapel Hill. With that is one coach who seems to be getting attention from the Tar Heels, the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Now Smith has reportedly shared that he had an initial conversation with North Carolina about the head coaching opening. He also made sure to emphasize that he is happy with where he is in Pittsburgh and that this is the beginning of a job search where many candidates are being investigated.

Arthur Smith is in his first season as offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he works with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to try to revitalize the team’s offense. To this point, it has been quite successful, with the Steelers sitting at 8-3 atop the AFC North.

Prior to his time with the Steelers, Smith was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He had a 21-30 record in three seasons there. He went 7-10 in each of those seasons. From 2011-2020, he was an assistant with the Tennessee Titans.

Smith already has ties to North Carolina. He was a guard at North Carolina from 2001 to 2005. He would later become a graduate assistant there. Other than that, his only college experience came in 2010 as an intern Miss Ole.

Naturally, North Carolina is looking at several other coaches at this stage of their coaching search. Insider Pete Thamel recently broke down a few of these options.

“It would be really interesting to see if there is a power coach coming out of a P4 league as a head coach to go to Carolina to change things. You know, some of those names can be Dave Clawson, PJ Fleck – a guy, you know, who’s had a lot of success and that stuff,” Thamel said.

“I think Jon Sumrall is on that list from Tulane. He has done an excellent job – two sun belts in a row and has a chance to win the American, I think Bob Chesney going in and hanging 70 in their stadium gets him on the list, right, from James Madison. Won big at Holy Crosswhich is kind of like kind of similar, it’s private, but kind of a similar vibe to Carolina in that kind of east coast neighborhood way. (UNLVs) Barry Odomfriend of the pod from earlier this year. i think Jeff Monken from army? What he’s done there will make them see.”

Currently, the North Carolina coaching search is in its early stages. Arthur Smith is certainly a name in the mix though.