Insider Reveals Fascinating News Regarding The Steelers And Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman

No stone will be left unturned as the Pittsburgh Steelers' front office combs through a large pool of head coaching candidates. After Mike Tomlin's decision to step down came on Tuesday, there has been nothing but speculation about where the franchise could turn next. There have already been several requests put out by the team in regards to who it would like to interview sooner rather than later; but the under-the-radar candidates always have to be considered, especially because no one believed back in 2007 that Tomlin would end up receiving the job from the organization.

Rumors will be flying until the Steelers do end up hiring a new head coach. One thing is for certain and that is the fact that the decision-makers are expected to strictly vet external candidates. There are plenty of up-and-coming names in the NFL to watch out for, but there are also some experienced individuals like Brian Flores who will get a look.

One highly-regarded coach who has consistently been mentioned is Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman. It may seem nearly impossible for him to land in Pittsburgh, particularly after recent reports.

Despite the overall belief that Freeman will not be making a jump to the NFL ranks, Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer took some time to speak about what could cause the mastermind to leave his current situation.

"If he's going to leave Notre Dame, it's for Ohio State or the NFL," Breer stated. "Marcus decided that this was not the right time. They've got a really good team coming back."

Additionally, there really aren't any NFL teams that could make Freeman change his mind presently. Unless, however, the Steelers come on strong and pursue him. That could lead to an interesting predicament.

"I think if there's one team that made him pause and think, 'Do I really want to walk away from this?' and might cause him to go to Notre Dame — and I hesitate to say go back on your word because I don't think he's like that — but [he] would [say], 'This is just too much. This is just too unique of a situation.' I think it's Pittsburgh," Breer said.

Pittsburgh would have to be absolutely certain that Freeman was its guy. If he agreed to meet about the position, it would cause a bunch of negative headlines about him in South Bend. The Steelers would have to make an offer that couldn't be refused, which isn't out of the question, but it is unlikely based on recent reports and speculation.

Pittsburgh is not going to waste time on someone who has no interest in coming to coach in the Steel City. That doesn't mean, however, that behind closed doors the Steelers may not have some private information regarding Freeman's potential interest. If a coach is going to leave one of the most stable programs at the collegiate level, it makes sense to do so for city that he knows will be loyal. It wouldn't be a one- or two-year job. He'd be guaranteed much longer than that.

Steelers' Art Rooney II Is Facing The Most Pressure

The franchise has come under some fire throughout the last decade or so. No playoff wins is certainly one frustration, but fans haven't been thrilled with Team President Art Rooney II, either. He will be the top individual in charge with making the right hire. If it goes south and the team plummets to the bottom of the AFC North, there will be a very angry group of yinzers that won't let him off of the hook.

Do you think that the Steelers job could still be on Freeman's mind? Let us know in the comments below!

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