One day after North Carolina fired coach Mack Brown following a 6–5 start to the season, multiple coaching candidates have popped up as possible replacements, including Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, On3 Sports ' Andy Staples speculated Tuesday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will not be moving forward with head football coach Mack Brown after the conclusion of the 2024 season, and could be tapping

Via Andy Staples of On3.com, Smith is a candidate for the vacant head-coaching job at North Carolina. Smith, 42, attended North Carolina and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2006.

On3 Sports' Andy Staples named Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith a candidate for the North Carolina head coach opening.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was pegged as a top candidate for the open head coach at the University of North Carolina by On3’s Andy Staples on Tuesday. North Carolina is Smith’s alma mater.

From coaches leading G5 contenders to respected P5 coordinators, the Tar Heels have a number of options for their new direction.

And while many believe Arthur Smith could be doing more (which may be a fair point), he has done largely well with the pieces he’s been given. Smith has done such a good job that he has been named as a candidate to replace Mack Brown as the head coach at North Carolina.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is expected to be a head coaching candidate for NFL teams in the offseason, according to the Athletic’s Dianna Russini. This comes on the heels of Smith’s interest in the University of North Carolina head coaching job, which is his alma mater.

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a shocking move to fire their struggling Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada, roughly a year ago during the 2023 season. Historically, the Steelers have avoided midseason firings,