Steelers Now
Steelers legends Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison both have spoke out this week that parting ways with head coach Mike Tomlin could be the best thing for the organization.
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.”
Roethlisberger then mentioned an out-of-the-box idea, claiming that Tomlin would be a great fit at Penn State. Penn State has a vacant head coach position after firing James Franklin in October.
“Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter,” Roethlisberger said.
Tomlin going to the college ranks seems very unlikely. He already threw cold water on that idea in 2021 when he was mentioned as a candidate for the USC and LSU head coach positions.
“Hey guys, I don’t have time for that speculation. I mean, that’s a joke to me. I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football?” Tomlin said. “And that will be the last time I will address it. Not only today, but moving forward. Never say never. But never. OK? There’s not a booster with a big enough check.
“Anybody asking [Saints coach] Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking [Chiefs coach] Andy Reid about stuff like that?”
Unless Tomlin has a change of mind four years later, don’t expect him to be in Happy Valley or at any other Power 4 school. If he moves on from the Steelers, it will be with another NFL team.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Big Ben Floats Idea of Mike Tomlin Going to Penn State
