The Pittsburgh Steelers have begun the search for their next head coach after Mike Tomlin stepped down from the position after 19 years — with our head coach scouting reports giving fans a better idea of which candidates to look out for.

Taking a look at head coach record, coaching background, accolades, and potential fit with the Steelers, here’s the scouting report for Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

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Coaching background

Defensive Intern — Notre Dame, 2006

Graduate Assistant — Cincinnati, 2007-2008

Linebackers Coach — Indiana State, 2009-2010

Defensive Coordinator — Indiana State, 2011-2012

Defensive Coordinator — Georgia State, 2013-2016

Defensive Backs Coach — Baltimore Ravens, 2020

Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach — Vanderbilt, 2021

Defensive Coordinator — Michigan, 2022-2023

Defensive Coordinator — Los Angeles Chargers, 2024-2025

Accolades

Minter played a huge role as defensive coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines’ top-ranked defense and College Football Championship title in 2023. With Minter taking his first NFL defensive coordinator job in 2024, the Chargers’ defense ranked No. 1 in points allowed and No. 7 against the pass. In 2025, the Minter-led Chargers defense was the eighth-best against the run and fifth-best against the pass, in addition to earning a consecutive top-10 ranking in points allowed.

Potential fit with Pittsburgh

With just around six years of NFL coaching experience, Minters is one of the least-experienced options the Steelers have been interested in thus far — but the numbers speak for themselves, albeit a small sample size. The Steelers love their defensive-minded head coaches, and while some fans would like the team to focus on offensive candidates, there’s no debating Minter checks a lot of the boxes Pittsburgh could be looking for.

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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers HC scouting report: Jesse Minter in post-Tomlin era