Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
18 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL AND TYLER HORKA T ommy Rees rebuffed an offer to fol- low his former boss and head coach to the SEC last fall. The opportu- nity to work for arguably the great- est coach to ever walk a college football sideline, though, was too much to pass up. Alabama has hired Rees as its offensive coordinator, ending a six-year run at his alma mater — the last three in same role he's taking with the Crimson Tide. Rees was in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Feb. 2 for an in-person interview with Alabama head coach Nick Saban. According to a report from FootballScoop.com, that meeting followed a video chat conversation be- tween Rees and Saban Feb. 1. Rees, 30, has been Notre Dame's of- fensive coordinator since January 2020. The Irish finished the 2022 season 45th in yards per play (5.92) and tied for 41st in scoring offense (31.8 points per game). They were 43rd and 34th in yards per play in 2021 and 2020, respectively. They ranked 19th in points per game in 2021 and 30th in 2020. All told, Notre Dame has had four start- ing quarterbacks in Rees' three years as offensive coordinator: Ian Book in 2020, Jack Coan in 2021, and Tyler Buchner (three starts) and Drew Pyne (10 starts) in 2022. Book operated the Rees offense that finished the highest in yards per play and in the Fremeau Efficiency Index. Notre Dame was 17th in the FEI in 2020, 20th in 2021 and 39th this past season. The 2023 offense, though, had the on-paper look of Notre Dame's best un- der Rees, even with All-America tight end Michael Mayer headed to the NFL. The Irish added Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, who has 45 career starts and set the ACC's all-time record for passing touchdowns (110). They return a pair of junior-to-be tack- les in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, as well as three running backs who had at least 100 carries in 2022. Alt earned a spot on all five NCAA-recognized All-Amer- ica teams, including first-team honors from the Associated Press. Notre Dame also brought in Virginia Tech graduate transfer receiver Kaleb Smith (673 yards, 18.2 yards per catch in 2022), signed four freshmen and re- turned the four combined members of its sophomore and junior classes. Rees joined Notre Dame's staff as quarterbacks coach following the 2016 season. He held that job for three years before he was elevated to offensive co- ordinator and play caller following a de facto audition for the job in the 2019 Camping World Bowl. He remained the PULL OF THE TIDE Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees leaves for Alabama