Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 19 quarterbacks coach in that role. Rees turned down a chance to follow Brian Kelly to LSU in November 2021 to re- main at Notre Dame. Miami was also re- portedly interested in him for its offen- sive coordinator opening last offseason. At Alabama, Rees is replacing Bill O'Brien, who left to become the New England Patriots' offensive coordina- tor after two seasons with the Crimson Tide. Saban reportedly made a run at Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb before turning his attention to Rees, but Grubb decided to stay put. Rees was the lone offensive assistant from Kelly's final season at Notre Dame to remain on staff for Marcus Freeman's first year. His exit represents the first change to Notre Dame's roster of 10 on- field assistant coaches since the end of the regular season. Rees played quarterback for Notre Dame from 2010-13. He threw for 7,670 yards, 61 touchdowns and 37 intercep- tions in his career. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at North- western in 2015 and spent 2016 as an of- fensive analyst with the then-San Diego Chargers before coming to Notre Dame. THE IMPACT OF REES' DEPARTURE The Notre Dame offense has had Rees' influence and handprints all over it for six years. Even when he was the quar- terbacks coach in his first three seasons as an assistant, he worked closely with Kelly in devising game plans and orga- nizing the Irish's aerial attack. When Kelly left before the 2022 season, Rees was the main man. Now he's gone. There will be an adjustment for the players no matter who head coach Mar- cus Freeman decides to hire to replace Rees. It could be one of the best offen- sive minds in the game. Irish players are still going to have to alter their lines of thinking to leave some of what Rees taught them behind and take in what- ever is gospel in the eyes of the new guy. If there is a group of 18- to 22-year- olds who can do that better than the rest, it's Notre Dame students. But change is change. The offensive linemen have been taught the same blocking schemes for as long as they've been college football players. The running backs have been told how to maneuver around those blocks with the voice of the same guy in their ears: Rees. Of course, the quarter- backs hear that voice when they close their eyes at night. Rees has been in- strumental in their development every step of the way in South Bend. But, maybe, if there is ever such a thing as a good time to make an offen- sive coordinator swap, it's right now. Notre Dame secured the crown jewel of the most recent transfer portal cycle in Hartman. Rees played a large role in getting him to Northern Indiana. But if he's content with departing now, less than a calendar month after Hartman announced he'd be on his way, then the marriage wasn't one that would totally wreck the lives of the involved parties in the event of a divorce. Hartman can still be everything Notre Dame wants him to be without Rees calling the shots. Still, there has to be an ounce of fear he changes his mind about Notre Dame after the coach he'd work most closely with this year decided to dip before on-field training even began. But if he stays, the least of Notre Dame's worries should be about him. He's a rising sixth-year player. None of those 110 career touchdowns were with Rees watching from his bird's- eye perch. He's going to be just fine with whoever walks through the door. The focus should be on the ones who just watched Rees walk out of it. Rees had an important impact on of- fensive line coach Harry Hiestand, who might not be in his second stint at Notre Dame without Rees. Wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey is at an impres- sionable period in his coaching career, so early on. His one year with Rees meant a lot. Running backs coach Deland Mc- Cullough and tight ends coach Gerad Parker leaned on Rees a bunch. Even at 30 years of age, Rees demanded atten- tion and respect with his mere presence. He was as "Notre Dame guy" as Notre Dame guys get in the Gug. Even Freeman lauded and revered him for that. There is an element of continuity gone with Rees' departure to Bama. His viral video announcing his decision to spurn Kelly and LSU a year ago to stay at Notre Dame received more fanfare than any other outside of strength coach Matt Balis introducing Freeman to the team as the new head coach. But Rees' successor doesn't have to be a lifelong representative of the univer- sity like Rees was. He just has to be able to coach a successful offense. Circum- stances will be different in 2023 than they were in 2022, but progress in the simplest terms of the definition would be improving the nation's No. 60 to- tal offense (396.2 yards per game) and No. 41 scoring offense (31.8 points per game). Those are the marks Rees guided Notre Dame to last fall. It'll be different not having Rees around. It'll take some getting used to. But it's not an insurmountable loss for the Irish. There's a path forward. Free- man just has to find it. ✦ Rees spent three years as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator and has been on staff since being named the program's quarterbacks coach in 2017. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER