Pennsylvania Football at a Crossroads: Could Mike Tomlin Be the Answer for Penn State?
While the Philadelphia Eagles continue to ride high as reigning Super Bowl champions, the rest of Pennsylvania football is facing a serious moment of reckoning. The Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the NFL’s proudest franchises, are staring down the possibility of their first losing season in nearly two decades under head coach Mike Tomlin. Meanwhile, in State College, Penn State is deep into a coaching search after parting ways with James Franklin - and still hasn’t found its next leader.
The uncertainty surrounding both programs has sparked some bold suggestions, none louder than the one from a man who knows both the Steelers and Tomlin better than most: Ben Roethlisberger. The former Steelers quarterback floated an eye-catching idea on his podcast - what if Tomlin left the NFL and took over at Penn State?
“Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said. “I like Coach Tomlin.
I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. But maybe a fresh start is what’s best - for him and for the Steelers.
Maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do there?
He’d probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.”
It’s a fascinating thought experiment. Tomlin’s resume speaks for itself - 18 straight winning seasons, a Super Bowl title, and one of the steadiest hands in the league.
His leadership style, presence, and ability to manage a locker room are second to none. If he were to step into a college program like Penn State, which has the resources, tradition, and recruiting footprint to compete nationally, the potential upside is enormous.
But let’s be clear: there’s very little to suggest Tomlin is itching to dive into the chaos of modern college football. His last college coaching job was a defensive backs gig at Cincinnati back in 1999-2000.
Since then, the college landscape has transformed completely - NIL deals, the transfer portal, and revenue sharing have turned recruiting into a full-time, high-stakes business. It’s a different world now, and one that may not align with Tomlin’s professional ambitions.
Still, Roethlisberger’s point about a “fresh start” isn’t without merit. Tomlin’s Steelers have gone 6-11 over their last 17 games, and frustration is building among fans.
The offense has sputtered, and the team just suffered one of the worst losses in his tenure. While no one’s calling for a firing - Roethlisberger himself said, “You don’t fire a guy like Coach Tomlin.
He’s a Hall of Fame coach” - the idea of a mutual parting of ways is starting to feel more plausible.
“You come to an understanding,” Roethlisberger added. “You give him a statue, do whatever you gotta do, because he deserves it. But it’s like, OK, it’s time to find that next guy.”
Of course, we’ve been down this road before. Back in 2021, when USC was on the hunt for a new head coach, Tomlin’s name came up - and he didn’t exactly entertain the idea. His response was firm, even fiery.
“I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport,” Tomlin said at the time. “Why would I have any interest in coaching college football?
That’ll be the last time I address it. And not only today, but moving forward.
Never say never, but never. OK?”
That quote still echoes today, but circumstances have changed. The Steelers are no longer a perennial contender, and the noise around Tomlin’s future is louder than it’s ever been. Whether he’s open to a college job now is anyone’s guess, but his stance back then couldn’t have been clearer - he wasn’t interested.
So, if not Tomlin, then who is Penn State’s next coach?
That’s the question that looms large in Happy Valley. Despite being one of the first major programs to open up this cycle, Penn State has yet to land its next head coach. And the list of available, high-profile candidates is shrinking fast.
BYU’s Kalani Sitake was a serious target, but he’s staying put after signing a long-term extension. Other rumored names - Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule - have also opted to remain with their current programs. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a university that made a bold move by cutting ties with Franklin.
The longer this search drags on, the more critical it becomes. Penn State is a top-tier job with national relevance, but if the right hire isn’t made - and soon - the program risks losing valuable recruiting momentum and falling further behind in a rapidly evolving Big Ten landscape.
So while the Tomlin-to-Penn-State idea may be more fantasy than reality, it speaks to a larger truth: both the Steelers and the Nittany Lions are at pivotal moments in their respective journeys. And in a football-obsessed state like Pennsylvania, the stakes couldn’t be higher.