With Mike Tomlin gone, Max Hurleman may find himself starting anew with Steelers
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Like everyone else inside the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Max Hurleman was stunned and saddened when Mike Tomlin announced he was leaving as head coach following the team’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.
For the Wyomissing grad it goes beyond personal disappointment. It could adversely affect his chances to crack the Steelers’ 53-man active roster next season.
Hurleman, an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, spent the entire 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad. He was close to being activated several times, he said, but never suited up on a Sunday.
He obviously made an impression on Tomlin, one of the longest-serving head coaches in franchise history, but with a new head coach he could find himself starting over.
“I would’ve felt a lot more comfortable about (my chances) had that not happened,” Hurleman said of Tomlin’s exit. “It’s a little dicey when there’s gonna be a lot of turnover in the building.”
The Steelers front office likes Hurleman enough that he was signed to a reserves/futures contract last week. That means he’ll remain with the team throughout the winter and head to OTAs in the spring, same as a year ago when he surprised many by being signed out of a rookie minicamp.
With Tomlin, and likely most or all of his coaching staff, gone Hurleman will essentially be starting from scratch once a new head coach is named.
“There are no guarantees,” he said. “The new guy could pull the rug out (from under me) whenever he so pleases. It’s going to be important to make a good first impression and continue to make great first impressions as soon as the new staff is here.
“But a clean slate could be great for me, as well. Who knows? Maybe the new crew will love me.”
Hurleman spent the entire season working as a wide receiver. He was a full part of the team, attending meetings and practicing daily. He ran routes and executed plays against the Steelers’ No. 1 defensive unit and emerged from the experience brimming with confidence.
“I feel I got a lot better as the season went on,” said the 24-year-old Hurleman, who served as Notre Dame’s primary punt returner in his only season in South Bend and played in the 2025 College Football Playoff championship game against Ohio State.
The 2020 Wyomissing grad spent the first four seasons of his college career at Colgate, playing mostly running back and excelling on special teams.
“It was great for me to be able to go against our starting defense every day and really work on my game, and I felt I got a lot better,” Hurleman said of his first season in the NFL. “Obviously, I would’ve loved to have been on the field on Sundays and I felt like I got close a lot of times.
“There were times when some receivers were down and I thought: ‘This could be my week.’ It just didn’t work out that way. But there were talks. Throughout the whole year my thing was: Prepare each week as if I was going to be the starter. I knew the game plan, I knew everything we were trying to do. If it were to happen I would’ve been ready to go.”
Other than suiting up for a game Hurleman experienced nothing but positives in 2025.
“I would view it as a success,” he said. “I made it through the whole year. I wish I could’ve played in some games but all in all I’m pleased with how the season went, for sure.”
Hurleman caught the attention of Steelers coaches in the spring when he showed off the versatility that made him one of the greatest players ever to come out of Wyomissing. He was an All-State running back in 2019 and led the Spartans to a 12-1 record, a District 3 championship and – for several weeks late in the season – the No. 1 ranking in the state in Class 3A.
He gained the attention of Steelers fans and the media when he caught a touchdown pass in a preseason game against Jacksonville and celebrated by doing a backflip in the end zone.
Tomlin noticed, calling it a “cute” move.
The former Steelers coach noticed more than that about his unheralded free agent.
“He pulled me over (during practice) a couple times to say, ‘I like what you’re doing with this,’ ” Hurleman said, “or ‘I need to see more of this.’ “
Tomlin left a lasting impression on Hurleman, as he did with many of his players over 19 consecutive winning seasons.
“When he announced he was stepping down, the whole group (in the locker room) just stood up and gave him one of the longest standing ovations I’ve ever been a part of,” Hurleman said. “He’s a pretty special dude.”
Once, during a cold, rainy practice Tomlin came up to Hurleman and commented: ‘Just another cold day in Hamilton, New York, huh?’ ”
That was a reference to Hurleman’s college days at Colgate.
“He knows everyone’s story,” Hurleman said. “He makes it a point to try to connect with (everyone). It was truly an honor to be around him, the type of leader he is, the type of guy he is. In one short year I really took a lot from him.”
