For the first time in 19 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for a coaching search. Mike Tomlin announced his decision to step down Tuesday following the franchise’s AFC Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans, ending a decorated run.
As the franchise prepares to move forward, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky named the candidate he would call first. He said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman should top the list.
Freeman has already said he intends to stay with the Fighting Irish in 2026 despite NFL interest, although The Athletic previously reported the Steelers did background work on him in case Tomlin stepped away. But despite Freeman’s statement, Orlovsky said Pittsburgh should call him right away and go all-out to try and hire him.
“If I were the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think the first name that I would call would be Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame,” Orlovsky said Tuesday on NFL Live. “I would call Marcus Freeman and I don’t think I would get off the phone. I would do everything I could to throw everything I could at Marcus Freeman. He’s one of the great leaders in football right now – college or the NFL. I think he fits a lot of the characteristics that we’ve seen from Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher.
“It’s a new day in Pittsburgh. There, obviously, needs to be a rebuild and a restart. We’ve seen that character and conviction are the trademarks of their coaches rather than Xs and Os. Mike Tomlin, all-time great, and if I were the Steelers, I would get on the phone [with Freeman] today.”
Freeman’s name has come up a couple times in this NFL coaching cycle, but he announced he plans to stay at Notre Dame. Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde also reported Freeman is set to sign a new deal that will put him in the “top tier” of coach salaries.
With that in mind, Adam Schefter pushed back on Orlovsky’s desire for the Steelers to speak with Freeman. He said the expectation remains he will be back at Notre Dame in 2026.
“You brought up the name Marcus Freeman,” Schefter said. “I fully expect that he’s staying at Notre Dame this year. He’s not going anywhere this year, is my expectation and understanding.”
Freeman has a 43-12 record in South Bend and helped lead Notre Dame to a national championship appearance in 2024. This year, the Fighting Irish went 10-2 and just missed the College Football Playoff, which led the team to decide not to play in a bowl game. They would have played in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU, On3’s Brett McMurphy reported.