Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1395005
20 AUGUST 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL T ommy Rees' second offseason as Notre Dame's offensive co- ordinator is one of reshaping. It began in spring practice, a luxury he did not have last year. It continues this summer and in fall camp, with a bit more urgency as the opener nears. Rees understood he had an experi- enced quarterback, a dominant offen- sive line and skilled tight ends when head coach Brian Kelly promoted him in January 2020. His job last year was to figure out how to best use them. Now, though, an offensive line exo- dus, the search for a new quarterback and turnover at wide receiver meant he needed to gain a better feel of the pieces he had before scheming and tailoring to them. Six months into the offseason, he's deep into that process. But it's still not quite finished. Here are five ques- tions Rees and Kelly will attempt to answer when training camp opens in August. Blue & Gold Illustrated spoke with each of them one-on-one for their thoughts on how to do it. 1. WHAT CAN JACK COAN GIVE NOTRE DAME? Barring a surprise, Notre Dame will replace Ian Book with former Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan. He's the first graduate transfer quar- terback the Irish have taken in Kelly's 12 seasons. He arrives with 18 career starts in the Big Ten and a Rose Bowl appearance on his résumé. Coan was the Badgers' wire-to-wire Summer Questions: Offense Coordinator Tommy Rees and head coach Brian Kelly address five key storylines heading into fall camp Notre Dame expects a big senior season from wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., despite the fact he has played in just two games in the past two seasons. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN