Steelers helmet Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It sounds like there’s a chance the Pittsburgh Steelers could lose one of their coaches.

Earlier this week, the North Carolina Tar Heels announced their decision to fire head coach Mack Brown, creating an opening that the school will need to fill ahead of next season that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could fill.

At a press conference this week, Smith – who played for North Carolina in college – confirmed that the school had indeed reached out to him about the job opening. And he certainly did not rule out having interest, even if that’s not his focus right now.

“Obviously, that’s your alma mater,” Smith said, as reported by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “That’s not something I’ve thought about. Like a lot of these things go, I know in today’s media things can blow up out of control. The reality is, reached out with a preliminary call. I appreciate it. Love that place but that’s not my focus.”

The possibility of the Steelers losing Smith led to a lot of reactions on social media.

“I am not sure why an NFL coach would want a college job even at your alma mater. Too much uncertainty. Too many amateurs to deal with (parents and agents),” one fan wrote on X.

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“Why would anyone wanna coach college?” another fan asked.

“Why have a preliminary conversation if you’re happy in Pittsburgh?” another fan said.

“Wouldn’t hate if he left as long as it’s after season,” a fan added.

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” another fan admitted.

“He’s gone,” another fan predicted.

It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out.

[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]