Ja’Corey Brooks says Tommy Rees brings ‘swag’ to locker room

One of the highest-profile staff additions for Nick Saban at Alabama was at offensive coordinator. Former Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees has taken over for Bill O’Brien, and it sounds like he’s already bringing a different vibe into the locker room.

Wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks met with reporters this week and talked about the differences going from O’Brien to Rees. Although there isn’t much “new” with the 30-year-old Rees taking over, he’s already relating to the players.

“I don’t to say too much is new, but it’s a lot different,” Brooks said. “I’ll say he’s more young, got a little more swag in him. … We can more relate.”

Rees arrives in Tuscaloosa after three years as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator. A former Fighting Irish quarterback, he joined Brian Kelly’s staff as quarterbacks coach in 2017 and took over the offensive coordinator role following the departure of Chip Long.

Last year, Notre Dame averaged 396.2 yards per game — down from 426.5 yards per contest in 2021. Of course, the Fighting Irish lost starting quarterback Tyler Buchner to injury early in the year and ended up rolling with Drew Pyne the rest of the way en route to a 9-4 record after a 1-2 start.

Nick Saban on Tommy Rees: ‘Good teacher, good quarterback coach, can develop quarterbacks’

Quarterback development will be a key part of Rees’ duties under Saban based on his comments earlier this month. Now that Bryce Young is in the NFL, the Crimson Tide will have a decision to make at the position. They could roll with Jalen Milroe, who started games last year after Young’s injury, or opt for Ty Simpson, Eli Holstein or Dylan Lonergan.

Whoever lands the starting job will have some big shoes to fill. Nonetheless, Saban said Rees’ ability to teach and develop quarterbacks was a big part of the reason to hire him away from his alma mater.

“I mean, I think the most important thing is not young, not old,” Saban said of Rees’ age in relation to the quarterbacks. “Good. Effective. Good teacher, good quarterback coach, can develop quarterbacks, can help them learn and grow within the position and I think that was one of the critical factors in the search for a new coordinator. It was that the the guy would be a really good quarterback coach and has a history of being able to develop quarterbacks. And I think we did that.”