Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: 'Never say never, but never' on coaching college football
Mike Tomlin isn’t interested in coaching college football.
Linked to a couple of college programs by two former NFL players and a former Pittsburgh Steelers executive, Tomlin squashed any talk Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
“I don’t have time for that speculation,” Tomlin said. “That is a joke for me. I have one of the best jobs in all of professional sports. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? That will be the last time I address it — not only today but moving forward.
“Never say never, but never.”
Tomlin is in his 15th season with the Steelers and had his contract extended in the offseason through the 2024 season. He has a 148-81-1 regular-season record and has never had a losing season with the Steelers. He has taken the Steelers to a pair of Super Bowls, winning one after the 2008 season.
His name, however, recently circulated in connection with LSU and USC. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, an LSU alum, said Tomlin should be considered for that school’s head coaching job if the program moves away from national championship-winning coach Ed Orgeron. Clark said the school should make an offer to Tomlin that would be “disrespectful” to turn down.
Former Steelers front-office member Doug Whaley, who later was a general manager of the Buffalo Bills, linked Tomlin to USC, and that sentiment was shared by former USC and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer.
Palmer said he is “providing input” on USC’s coaching search after the September dismissal of Clay Helton and called Tomlin a “wild-card.”
Tomlin hasn’t coached college since 2000 when he was defensive backs coach at Cincinnati.
He made it clear Tuesday that he has no intent of leaving the NFL.
“Anybody else have any questions about any college jobs?” Tomlin said. “There’s not a booster with a big enough blank check.”
When the press conference ended, Tomlin offered an unsolicited observation about two of his NFL coaching peers.
“Anybody asking Sean Payton about that?” he said. “Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?”
Like Tomlin, Payton and Reid are long-time coaches who have each won a Super Bowl.
Tomlin also addressed the Steelers matchup with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday:
Here is some of what Tomlin had to say:
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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