Major college football coach listed among candidates for Steelers head coach vacancy

A coach of a major college football program is considered one of the best candidates for the Steelers head coaching vacancy.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman claps after scoring against the Navy Midshipmen | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL head coaching carousel is in full swing as the offseason draws nearer. Close to a third of the league will have a new face leading their franchises next season.

The coaches most NFL franchises are targeting are like Kevin Stefanski and John Harbaugh, who have successfully coached other organizations to the playoffs in prior head coaching tenures. Up and coming coordinator hires are less in demand than in previous cycles.

A less popular route for NFL head coaching searches involves scouring the college ranks for the best possible names. The last college head coach to take an NFL was Jim Harbaugh, who has compiled a 22-14 overall record with two playoff appearances in the years after his departure from Michigan.

Most college coaches trying their hand at the NFL do not have the same fortune as Harbaugh. Despite posting a winning record in Philadelphia, Chip Kelly was fired by the Eagles three seasons after they hired him away from Oregon. In 2015, he posted a 2-14 record with the 49ers and was fired at the end of the season.

Even some of the very best college coaches in recent memory have struggled in the NFL. Both Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier left LSU and Florida in the early 2000s for NFL head coaching jobs, and both returned to the college ranks after failed three-year tenures in the NFL.

The college head coach that has been lumped into coaching searches for much of the NFL offseason is Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. He was first considered a prime candidate for the Giants and has become a name on the list of candidates for the Steelers' opening more recently.

Despite his recent contract extension with the Fighting Irish, odds still exist for Freeman to potentially look toward the Steelers for a job opening. BetOnline released updated odds for which coach the Steelers will most likely hire for their vacancy, giving Freeman 50 to 1 odds of accepting the job.

Updated odds to be the next Pittsburgh Steelers HC:

Chris Shula (+125)
Mike McCarthy (+150)
Brian Flores (+300)
Sean McDermott (12/1)
Klint Kubiak (20/1)
Kliff Kingsbury (20/1)
Anthony Weaver (22/1)
Jesse Minter (40/1)
Matt Nagy (50/1)
Marcus Freeman (50/1)
Jon Gruden (66/1)…

— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) January 20, 2026

Freeman worked his way up the coaching ladder with stops at Kent State, Purdue and Cincinnati as a defensive coordinator and linebacker coach prior to his time at Notre Dame. He served in the same role with the Fighting Irish for one season before his promotion to head coach following Brian Kelly's departure for LSU.

In four seasons on the job, Freeman has amassed a 43-12 overall record. Notre Dame has won 10 or more games in three of the four seasons, the second of which featured a run to the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after an Irish touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images