Stephen A. Smith says $50 million coach would 'instantaneously resurrect' Penn State

Stephen A. Smith is rarely a man without an opinion. While it's unsurprising then that he has a take on Penn State's successor to James Franklin after the former coach's October firing, the exact extent of his take might be surprising. Smith is comfortable that he sees the coach who can bring Penn State back to its glory days in the era of Joe Paterno-- even if that coach is an NFL legend and fixture.

Smith calls for Tomlin

Smith advocated on ESPN's First Take for Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin as the man to bring back Penn State. Tomlin has been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007. He is currently 11th all-time on the NFL's coaching wins list and won a Super Bowl with Pittsburgh.

Tomlin's contract

Tomlin signed a three-year extension to his coaching contract in mid-2024. The extension, which runs three years through the end of the 2027 season, was reported at a $50 million value, with approximately $16 million in annual salary for Tomlin. He would either have to take a pay cut to return to college football or would become the highest paid coach in the college game. Despite the finances, Smith sees Tomlin as a recruiting game-breaker.

Stephen A. Smith's take

I would tell you that I see Mike Tomlin as an NFL coach as opposed to a college coach. You would have to tell me what kind of NIL money Penn State was willing to throw into its coffers for a coach to go out there and compete. If you're talking about Mike Tomlin going into a living room to recruit kids, you can't tell me two people that would be better than him at that. He would be elite at that. And I think that he would get a boatload of athletes to come to Penn State and he would instantaneously resurrect that program.
Stephen A. Smith

Tomlin's college background

Tomlin hasn't coached in college football since 2000. The former William & Mary wide receiver worked his way up the college ranks as a defensive assistant coach at VMI, Memphis, Arkansas State, and Cincinnati before switching over to the NFL ahead of the 2001 season.

Tomlin's resume

As a pro, Tomlin's 189-113-2 record is certainly impressive. Only eight NFL coaches have ever won 200 games, and if Tomlin fulfills his current contract, he is virtually guaranteed to join that list. After a quarter century out of college football, as Smith acknowledged, it's far from clear that Tomlin would want to return to the world of college football. But his candidacy would certainly add some authority to Penn State's coaching searching. While most schools in the current search are diving in on up and coming coaches, Tomlin is certainly an established name and then some.