Arthur Smith will not be North Carolina’s next head coach.
According to NFL.com, The former Atlanta Falcons coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator has withdrawn from the race for the job. Smith, a North Carolina alumnus, had been in preliminary contact with UNC administrators.
The school announced last week that it would fire coach Mack Brown at the end of the season. North Carolina lost 35-30 to rival NC State on Saturday to fall to 6-6 on the season. After the game, NC State players attempted to place a flag on the North Carolina logo at midfield and the Tar Heels players did not take it too well. Flag planting was a topic Saturday.
Brown had said he planned to return for the 2025 season after Boston College defeated North Carolina in Week 13. A day later, North Carolina announced that the longtime coach would not be hired for the 2025 season. Saturday’s loss, a game that will be his last with the school. Brown later said he would not coach any bowl games in which the Tar Heels play.
Smith, 42, is in his first season as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator following his stint as Falcons head coach. He coached the Falcons for three seasons after serving as an assistant with the Tennessee Titans from 2011 to 2020. He began coaching at North Carolina as a graduate assistant in 2006.
Depending on how the coaching carousel plays out, North Carolina could be the biggest job to open before the 2025 season. The Tar Heels were the first power conference team to make a head coaching move and UCF is the only outside power conference program with a head coaching vacancy as of Sunday morning. On Saturday night, Knights coach Gus Malzahn resigned to reportedly take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State.