LOOK: University of Alabama plane lands in South Bend ahead of Tommy Rees interview

Shortly after news broke that Tommy Rees was Alabama‘s top choice for their offensive coordinator position, the Crimson Tide are showing out for the Notre Dame assistant.

To illustrate, Chris Low of ESPN reported on Thursday afternoon that the Fighting Irish offensive coordinator is Nick Saban’s top target to replace Bill O’Brien, who left Tuscaloosa for the New England Patriots. Afterwards, On3’s Matt Zenitz confirmed the report, adding that Rees was set to meet in-person with Saban to discuss the gig.

Welp, it looks like that meeting will happen sooner rather than later, as Pete Sampson of The Athletic provided photo evidence of an Alabama plane that landed in South Bend, ready to take Rees south to meet with Saban.

For the “pics or it didn’t happen” crowd. pic.twitter.com/zWvm6N2fhE

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) February 2, 2023

“A plane from the University of Alabama has landed at South Bend airport and Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is boarding it to fly south for an interview with Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa,” tweeted Sampson. “Source says no decision made from Rees’ side of the equation.”

Tommy Rees has passion for Notre Dame running through his veins, but could he turn down the opportunity to work with Saban? It could be the next step in a more than promising coaching career, and he could prove he’s one of the top offensive minds in the country. 

Alas, it’ll be an interesting story to monitor over the next week. Either way, Tommy Rees is a sought-after commodity in the college football world.

More on Tommy Rees, Alabama offensive coordinator gig

Moreover, the Alabama offensive coordinator gig may be the most coveted assistant job in college football. 

Many are vying for it, but news broke earlier this week that Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb turned the job down. Following, ESPN’s Pete Thamel had an update on The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday, before the Rees news broke.

Prior to Grubb said no, Thamel thought he’d have been a “favorite” for the role. However, he said he understood Grubb’s decision to return to the Huskies considering his situation with Kalen DeBoer, including a Heisman Trophy finalist at quarterback in Michael Penix Jr.

“I would’ve said two days ago that Ryan Grubb flying from Washington to Tuscaloosa for the job would’ve made him a favorite. His decision, it seems, to stay at Washington — where he’s making 2 million bucks and he’s got Michael Penix, who’s better than any quarterback Alabama has — is in a situation where he could be primed for a job in that West Coast corridor and that part of the world where he’s from. That decision made a lot of sense.”

One of the hottest names during the search has been Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, and Thamel said his name continues to come up in conversations. But there’s another name getting some chatter: Former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who parted ways with the team last month to pursue other opportunities. Roman’s success in the running game could be enticing for Saban, Thamel said.

“I think I said this on your show last time, Jeff Lebby’s still a name that has been bandied about pretty loudly there,” Thamel said. “There’s some chatter in NFL circles, does Greg Roman go down from the Ravens? That style of run game would be appealing to Nick.

“Nick, I give him credit for this. He’s been consistently deliberate about these jobs and tends to talk to people to pick their brains and learn. He’s sort of always used these jobs as a schematic stimulator for him, I guess. … He seems to be in the throws of that.”

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.