Steelers DC Teryl Austin Named Latest Head Coach Candidate For ACC School

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been praised for his ability to lead his teams. He's coached the Steelers to at least a .500 record in all 16 seasons in his position so far, and 2023 could mark his 17th such season. On the flip side, he hasn't avoided all criticisms in the city of Pittsburgh. Most notably, he's played a role in putting together his coaching staffs over the years.

The Steelers' brass is known for being cheap when it comes to paying assistant coaches, which has hurt their ability to bring in top-notch coaching talent. Teams rarely come to Pittsburgh when trying to find their next coordinator or even head coach. Brian Flores, who spent 2022 as the Steelers' linebackers coach, was hired as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator last offseason. Now, the Steelers may have another pristine coaching candidate. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin could move to the college ranks.

That's right, Thamel has named Austin has a candidate to become the next head coach at Syracuse. The Orange are just 5-6 this season, and they fired Dino Babers on Sunday with just one game left in the season. Babers had been the team's head coach since 2015, and he had some success with the ACC school. Syracuse is not Austin's alma mater, as he went to the University of Pittsburgh. 

The Steelers DC does have connections to Syracuse though, as he served as an assistant coach there for three years back in the late-1990s. That was awhile ago, but that may be why Thamel linked the two sides together. Or, he may have credible sources from the ACC school that told him they are interested in the Steelers coach. Many pondered if the Steelers should have promoted Brian Flores to defensive coordinator and moved on from Austin last offseason. 

Did The Steelers Make The Right Decision By Keeping Austin Over Flores?

Flores has done quite well for the Vikings, as he's been able to get them back on track. They rank above league average in most major statistical categories, a testament to the job he's done. Austin has the defense playing with their hair on fire recently though. Despite major injuries to Cole Holcomb, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Kwon Alexander, the defense has kept them in (nearly) every contest.

It's been a few years since Austin has been linked to other jobs, whether it's in college or the NFL, but that may come back up this offseason. The defense in Pittsburgh has stepped up in 2023, but it's also a testament to the coaching jobs that Austin and Tomlin have done. Many thought that defensive backs coach, Grady Brown, may be the guy on Pittsburgh's staff that teams go after this upcoming offseason. 

Still relatively young, he continues to do a great job with the secondary. Last year, he was fortunate enough to coach the National Team at the Senior Bowl. Austin likely isn't a frontrunner for the position at Syracuse, but it's interesting nonetheless that his name has been brought up in the initial rumors. If Austin were to leave, perhaps Brown would be the frontrunner to replace him, especially with the experience he got in that position at the Senior Bowl just last year.

Do you think Austin is head coach material? Overall, how do you think he has done with a defense that has went through several injuries this year? If Syracuse did hire Austin, who would you want the Steelers to hire as their next defensive coordinator? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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