Arthur Smith Comments on Bill Belichick’s UNC Job After Being Rumored Candidate

The Steelers offensive coordinator was one of the first names suggested after Mack Brown was fired.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith stands on the sidelines during a game. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

As one of the first rumored candidates for the North Carolina football coaching job after Mack Brown was fired, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was of course asked about his thoughts regarding the Tar Heels hiring eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.

Smith said he is "fired up" for his alma mater to hire such a legendary coach for the program.

"I think it's awesome," Smith said on Thursday, via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "Even for the whole game of football, you're talking about somebody that's won more than any coach in the history of the game. The college game has changed with the times... He, like any great coach, is a teacher first and really still a student."

#Steelers OC (UNC grad) Arthur Smith on why he says it’s great for football that Bill Belichick is the North Carolina coach pic.twitter.com/w6gmg19c3c

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) December 12, 2024

Smith publicly dismissed the idea of him taking the North Carolina job shortly after the news dropped that he had a preliminary call with the program. He expressed his love for his current job in Pittsburgh and how his plan was not to coach a college program right now—so it wasn't a surprise that Smith didn't get the job.

Instead, the Tar Heels hired Belichick on a five-year, $50 million deal, which is the tied for the sixth-richest annual salary for college football coaches right now.

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