When Penn State and the Pittsburgh Steelers suddenly found themselves dealing with head-coaching drama at the same time, the conversation took a sharp turn. After years of mediocrity, and especially that 26–7 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, Steelers fans finally snapped, booed the team, and chanted “fire Mike Tomlin.” Over at Penn State, the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin and kicked off their search.

Which is when Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger floated a bold idea: Tomlin should take the Penn State job. And that naturally raises a question: Would Tomlin really consider a college job and follow the Bill Belichick path? If you circle back to 2021, though, the answer still feels pretty unlikely.

“I don’t have time for that speculation,” Tomlin said back in 2021 when asked about other college job openings.

“I mean, that’s a joke to me. I’ve got 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 that I address it, not only today but moving forward. Never say never, but never.”

During his 15th season as the Steelers’ head coach in 2021, Tomlin suddenly found himself linked to USC and LSU. It all started when Doug Whaley, a former Bills GM and ex-Steelers staffer, casually mentioned on a local radio show that Pittsburgh should be “worried” about Tomlin leaving for a college job. He even admitted it was just a speculation, but that didn’t stop the spark from catching fire.

The radio hosts pushed it further, asking former Steeler Ryan Clark if Tomlin might fit at LSU. Carson Palmer jumped in on the Dan Patrick Show and labeled Tomlin a “wild card” for USC. Basically, one offhand opinion snowballed into a full-blown narrative, and people suddenly acted like Tomlin was preparing to pack his bags.

The Steelers HC later shut all of it down, insisting he had zero interest in college football. But fast forward to now, and the speculation has resurfaced. The Steelers have never had a losing season under him, yet at 6–6 in 2025, this might be the year that streak breaks. Combine that with growing fan frustration and loud calls for the front office to fire him, and the noise is only getting louder.

Which leaves two real questions on the table: Would the Steelers actually move on from Tomlin? And if they did, would he finally consider the college route? We don’t have those answers yet, but both possibilities now hang over Tomlin’s future.

Ben Roethlisberger asks Mike Tomlin to get a fresh start at Penn State

In his 19th season as the Steelers’ head coach, Mike Tomlin sits at 183-107-2 with a Super Bowl win and another appearance that came up short. But his 8–11 playoff record, paired with that brutal 26–7 loss to the Bills, has pushed fan frustration to a new level. That’s the backdrop behind Roethlisberger’s suggestion that maybe it’s time for Tomlin to head to Penn State and hit reset with a fresh start.

“It’s been talked around here a lot. Maybe it is time to clean the house,” said Big Ben, who played 15 seasons under Tomlin’s guidance. “Maybe it is, and I like coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what is best. Whether that is in the pros [or] go be Penn State’s head coach. Do you know what he would do at Penn State? He would probably go win national championships because he is a great recruiter.”

If Tomlin has shown anything over the years, it’s that he knows how to run a steady, winning operation. Eighteen straight winning seasons and a Super Bowl ring speak for themselves. So if he ever did dip back into the college world, a program like Penn State would instantly get both a rock-solid baseline and a real shot at raising its ceiling.

But again, there’s zero indication that Tomlin would even entertain leaving the NFL for a college job. His last stint in the college ranks was back in 1999–2000 as Cincinnati’s defensive backs coach, so it’s been a long time. Whether Art Rooney decides to make a move or the two sides eventually agree to part ways is still completely uncertain. For now, though, Mike Tomlin remains the head coach in Pittsburgh.

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