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WATCH: Tommy Rees announces coaching decision to Notre Dame players

Sean Labarby:Sean Labar•12/01/21•

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Tommy Rees been part of the Notre Dame tradition for a long time— and despite recent reports he may follow Brian Kelly to LSU— the Irish offensive coordinator confirmed on Tuesday night he’s staying in South Bend.

The news of Rees staying on board came just after On3’s Matt Zentiz broke the story that Marcus Freeman was going to become the next head coach at Notre Dame, despite multiple reports stating that Kelly was attempting to sway him, Rees and other Irish assistants to LSU.

In a heartfelt speech to Notre Dame players, the former Irish quarterback and current offensive coordinator shared his honest thoughts in a heartfelt message.

”I love you guys, I love this place and I believe we can win a national championship here,” Rees said while speaking to the Notre Dame team.

“I’m committed to doing everything I can to get to that point.”

While the entire speech can be found in the above video, Tommy Rees made a point to tell the entire squad that his love for Notre Dame, the team and his belief the Irish are on the cusp of winning it all played the biggest factor in his decision to stay in South Bend.

“This is where my heart is,” Rees added.

“My heart is with you guys, I care too much to leave this place. This is where I want to be and this is where I want to win a national championship. I wanted to be able to tell you guys in person.”

After multiple reports surfaced that Brian Kelly spoke to the players for less than two minutes, didn’t take a single question and bolted for the door, it’s clear Rees was making an effort to give comfort to a group of young men who have faced a barrage of emotions as of late.

“Now some of you guys might be happy and some of you guys might be pissed,” Tommy Rees said jokingly and laughs were heard throughout the room. “The most important thing for me was to be upfront and that you guys were confident going forward.

Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees staying together

“All week sources indicated to The Athletic that Notre Dame retaining Tommy Rees as offensive coordinator would be critical to promoting Marcus Freeman to head coach,” detailed The Athletic’s Pete Sampson on Wednesday.

Shortly afterward, Tommy Rees himself appeared to confirm his decision to stay in a video shared on Twitter.

Initial reports on Notre Dame’s coaching hire indicated that there was some hesitation about hiring a first-time head coach to take over the program. While Freeman was one of the top candidates for the position, it appears that stability in the program was a necessary thing to give Notre Dame confidence in his hiring.

With Tommy Rees remaining in place, Brian Kelly’s former program will remain largely intact. It also provides some much-needed relief for the Fighting Irish as rumors began quickly that Kelly was attempting to bring Rees with him to LSU.

Now, Rees is going to remain in South Bend alongside Freeman as the pair attempt to continue Notre Dame’s recent success.

Notre Dame is 11-1 this season and in the mix for a potential College Football Playoff appearance. Freeman’s defense is the 11th best in the country, holding teams to 18.3 points per game this season.

On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this report