Mike Tomlin considered ‘a front-runner’ for the vacant USC head coach job

A rumor made the rounds on Monday that Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin was in the running to become the next head coach for the university of Southern California. During a hit on the Dan Patrick show former Pro Bowl quarterback, and USC Heisman winning quarterback, Carson Palmer said that Mike Tomlin was on a short list of front runners to take over the quickly sinking program.

Southern California has been without a head coach since September 14 after another abysmal start to the season for what is historically the best team on the west coast. The Trojans currently hold a record of 3-4 which places them fourth in the PAC-12 South. They are in need of a big time coach to come in and turn the program around. The name value and charisma of Tomlin would definitely give them that presence. It would also give Tomlin complete control over his own roster, which would be the only perk the Steelers could never match.

The other coaches listed in Palmer’s quote include Iowa state’s Matt Campbell, who gets brought up for every coaching gig but has a really good spot with the Cyclones. Penn State’s James Franklin who has been brought up for other jobs in the past, but the Pennsylvania native has it pretty good in Happy Valley. And finally, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell who's overachieved with the program for a number of years and to me makes the most sense to take the promotion.

To me, this rumor doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Tomlin signed an extension with the Steelers this past offseason on a deal that would see him through the transition of the Ben Roethlisberger era. The Steelers and Mike Tomlin are both committed to each other, and considering Tomlin’s nature I have a really hard time believing he would leave the Steelers for any other team. That is, unless the Steelers showed him the door, which we know they would never do. It would also mean Tomlin would have to move across the country to an area he has no past ties. After being in Pittsburgh for close to 15 years, a move like that would come as a major surprise to many.

But what do you think? Could you envision Mike Tomlin leaving the Steelers for a college team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.