Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 APRIL 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Veteran Losses Leave Tommy Rees A Taller Task By Todd D. Burlage Given the recipe for success Tommy Rees inherited last season as Notre Dame's first-year offensive coordinator — a third-year starting quarterback, a veteran offensive line stocked with NFL talent and his personal understand- ing of head coach Brian Kelly's vision — anything other than scoring lots of points and winning lots of games would have been disappointing in 2020. In fact, the 2020 offense's experience and strong leadership — along with Rees' familiarity with his players and Kelly's system — made the Irish better- equipped than any team in the country to hit the regular season running after COVID-19 canceled spring ball and disrupted an entire offseason. Notre Dame's veteran advantage neatly paved Rees' move from three-year Irish quarterbacks coach to first-year offensive coordinator, and that smooth transition fueled an undefeated regular season and a place in the College Football Playoff. Based on a new-look 2021 spring roster, the honeymoon is over, and Rees may need Starbucks stock this spring season. Facing an entire offensive line rebuild, alongside a search for reliable wide receivers and acclimating a new starting quarterback following the departure of Ian Book, Rees might feel more like a rookie coordinator than he did last year. With so many holes for Rees to patch and so many standout players to replace, no coach on the staff faces a more intricate puzzle to construct than Rees. But whether it was as an undersized and overachieving Irish quarterback from 2010-13, or during his three seasons coaching the position he previously played, Rees has always proven challenge-worthy. Expect more of the same. New Team, Huge Shoes To Fill Make It Marcus Freeman By Lou Somogyi Whether inheriting a veteran-laden offense in 2020 or doing some recon- struction in 2021, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees knows Notre Dame, Brian Kelly and the personnel in a way few coordinators across the country do at their respective schools. This will be his fifth year on the staff, and ninth overall since 2010 as a player or coach. On the other hand, although defensive coordi- nator Marcus Freeman already is earning renown as a "tiger" on the recruiting trail and seems an ideal fit into Notre Dame's culture, he is still in a situation where there is going to be a feeling-out, learning process. Like Rees with Kelly, Freeman had a long-stand- ing chemistry with Luke Fickell, playing linebacker for him at Ohio State, working as a graduate as- sistant for him and coordinating his Cincinnati defenses from 2017-20. Notre Dame is a new experience and learning curve — and he will be replacing one of the two or three best and most respected assistants Notre Dame has had since 2000 in Clark Lea. That's not an easy task. Whereas in 2017 new coordinator Mike Elko and then linebackers coach Lea replaced a poor defensive regime and there was no place to go but up, Freeman has a tough act to follow, including the first three-year stretch of ranking among the top 15 in scoring defense since 1969-71. Freeman has stated one would have to be crazy to tinker too much this year, yet there is still a delicate balancing act involved in that he has to be his own person. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH COORDINATOR HAS A GREATER CHALLENGE THIS SPRING? The prospect of Kathleen Roe eventually com- ing to Notre Dame always loomed during her entire childhood in Denver. Both her parents were 1990 Notre Dame gradu- ates, and her older brother Dillon enrolled at the university in 2015. So when the time came for Kathleen to make a decision on where to play col- lege lacrosse in 2016, a lifelong familiarity and pas- sion for the university — along with an impactful recruiting visit — made Notre Dame an easy choice. And since then, she has spent five years squeezing every drop of life out of her time in South Bend as a student and an athlete. She graduated last spring with an undergraduate degree in marketing, and had some unfinished business after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 Irish lacrosse season. Wanting more of everything, Roe returned to Notre Dame for a fifth year, ready to conquer a master's degree in the classroom and a national championship on the lacrosse field. The gifted de- fender is serving as a team captain for the 1-0 Irish, who were ranked No. 2 in the IWLCA coaches poll and No. 4 in the Inside Lacrosse poll as of March 3. BGI: The pandemic continues to disrupt the early part of this lacrosse season. How frustrating is the ongoing uncertainty? Roe: "As a team, we were saying before we even got back to campus in August that COVID was going to be our biggest op- ponent this year, and obviously we've really experienced that. "But going back to last year when the season was canceled and we were going through every- thing, we are just so excited that we are even having a season. So if a couple of games get canceled or postponed here and there, we're still keeping our heads up." BGI: How much did family ties factor into you coming to Notre Dame? Roe: "I kind of grew up obviously cheering for Notre Dame because of the family affiliation. But when I was being recruited and I came to visit Notre Dame, family aside, I fell in love with the place because it's hard not to. "Family ties helped, and growing up cheering for Notre Dame, knowing what it was all about, and coming here when I was younger for football games, I knew it was the right choice." BGI: What has your time at Notre Dame meant? Roe: "Academically it has been pretty much what I expected, knowing that it would be a challenge but knowing that it would be so rewarding putting in all the work. And being part of the women's la- crosse team, that has been indescribable. I didn't know what to expect coming in. "The relationships I've built are lifelong. There are no words to describe the past five years at Notre Dame. It's been incred- ible. I'm thankful for the experience." BGI: As a team captain, how would you describe your leadership style? Roe: "There are some days in practice where obviously it gets tough, and starts to feel like more of a job. So every day during my five years here I tried to bring the fun and attention to practice and kind of remind people that we are all going to make mistakes and if you take yourself too seriously, then you're not going to have fun. "And if you're not having fun, then why are you even here?" BGI: How would you describe yourself as a player? Roe: "You can't play defense as an individual, you have to play as a unit, so it's always important to really develop relationships with the people I am playing with and playing next to. "That's been really important for me. I wouldn't be the player or the leader I am without everyone who I have played with through the years. I am grateful for all of them." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … WOMEN'S LACROSSE FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR KATHLEEN ROE ROE FREEMAN REES