Pittsburgh Steelers Reportedly Targeting Top NCAA Coach To Replace Mike Tomlin

After leading the Miami Hurricanes to a surprise national championship game appearance, Mario Cristobal may get the dream opportunity to coach one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises.

Last week, Mike Tomlin announced his resignation from the Pittsburgh Steelers after their playoff loss to the Houston Texans. Tomlin had coached the Steelers for 19 years, leading them to a Super Bowl 43 championship and zero losing seasons.

Pittsburgh recently interviewed Mike McCarthy and Brian Flores for the head coaching vacancy, but the latter signed a new deal to remain the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator.

During the latest episode of his “Best Football Show” podcast, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger reported that the Steelers have interest in Mario Cristobal (h/t Jack Markowski of Sports Illustrated):

“Not out here trying to play reporter or doing any of that nonsense, but I hear the Steelers are very interested in Mario Cristobal, the coach at the University of Miami. I think Mario Cristobal actually would really translate well to the NFL. I watched his practice in the spring. The way that Mario coached that team reminded me of what old-school coaches used to do.”

The 55-year-old Mario Cristobal has never coached at the NFL level. But we’ve seen the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll enjoy tremendous success after coming up from the college ranks. We’ll find out soon enough if the Steelers can convince him to leave Miami.

Mario Cristobal Would Be A Fascinating Hire By The Steelers

Mike Tomlin spent one season as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator before the Steelers hired him in 2007. That hiring certainly worked out for Pittsburgh. Tomlin did his part in replacing another legendary head coach, Bill Cowher.

The Steelers have only employed three coaches since 1969. The pressure is on ownership and GM Omar Khan to get this next hire right. Cristobal may have no NFL experience, but his college resume speaks for itself.

Cristobal has gone 97-79-0 in 15 seasons as a college coach (he also coached Florida International from 2007 to 2012 and Oregon from 2017 to 2021). He is 35-19-0 at Miami, and his work this past season speaks for itself.

Cristobal’s contract, worth $80 million over 10 years, was signed in 2021. So, the Steelers will have to put together a substantial financial package if they want to recruit him.