The University of North Carolina made national headlines by hiring six-time Super Bowl champion and former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, but the school was initially focused on hiring a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ staff.
Per ESPN’s David Hale, Andrea Adelson and Chris Low, UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham’s first target to fill the program’s head coaching vacancy upon Mack Brown’s retirement was Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“In truth, however, Cunningham had his sights set on another former NFL head coach — former UNC player and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith,” Hale, Adelson and Low wrote.
Cunningham first reached out to Smith in early November, simply to gauge his interest in a job that was not yet officially open. No interviews took place, though the two sides kept in touch. Smith was intrigued, and he was seen as a consensus candidate at UNC, with support from Roberts and board members.
“They were all hopeful they could lure Smith back to Chapel Hill, and then whether it was Belichick or anybody else, it would have been a moot point. Smith is who they wanted,” one source said.
Smith played offensive guard at UNC and was a graduate assistant there in 2006, making him a logical target in the school’s search. He addressed the topic during the regular season, stating that it wasn’t top of mind and that he was content in Pittsburgh.
“I appreciate it, love that place,” Smith said in November. “But that’s not my focus. I’ve got one of the best jobs in football right now. There’s a lot to be said, too, about can’t put a price on personal and professional happiness, which I have here. Love that place, appreciate it. But that’s usually how it goes. People cast a wide net and then some narratives get out of control.”
As we know, he officially turned down overtures from the Tar Heels and will remain with the Steelers, who hired him last offseason after he spent three years as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.