Former Notre Dame QB, OC Tommy Rees was runner-up for North Carolina head coach job
Bill Belichick is getting back into coaching. Yep, that Belichick. The one with the second-most NFL regular season wins of all time and 6 Super Bowl championships as a head coach. He’ll be the next head coach at North Carolina.
That’s huge news. But it could have been even bigger news if the Tar Heels hired the runner-up candidate instead of the man widely considered the best NFL coach of all time.
Yep, that Rees. Notre Dame’s former quarterback (2010-13) and assistant coach (2017-22), including three years as his alma mater’s offensive coordinator, was the next man up if Belichick, 72, didn’t take the job, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Rees, 32, spent the 2023 season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped the Crimson Tide shake off an early loss to Texas and multiple iffy outings to get to the College Football Playoff. Alabama was the closest team to beating eventual national champion Michigan, losing 27-20 in overtime at the Rose Bowl in the CFP semifinal.
Rees moved back to the NFL this year when the Alabama coaching staff disbanded after legendary head coach Nick Saban retired. The Crimson Tide hired Kalen DeBoer away from Washington, he brought in his own assistants, and Rees was hired as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach with the Cleveland Browns.
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Rees spent one season as current Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman‘s offensive coordinator in South Bend. When former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly became the head coach at LSU following the 2021 regular season, Rees was sought after by his longtime boss to take the OC job in Baton Rouge. Instead, he stayed with Freeman and the Irish.
Notre Dame went 9-4 in Rees’ one year working for Freeman. In Notre Dame’s first season with Rees as the offensive coordinator in 2020, though, the Fighting Irish went 10-0 in their only season ever in a conference. They won the regular season ACC title and played Clemson in the league title game.
The Tigers won in a landslide, then Notre Dame lost to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals, but the year was still a success. And the Irish had offensive success in 2021, too, during an 11-1 regular season. In a 37-35 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, quarterback Jack Coan threw for 509 yards, the second most passing yards in a single game in Notre Dame history.
Still, Rees is a polarizing figure in the eyes of Notre Dame fans despite spending over a decade with the the program as a player and a coach. Many among blue and gold faithful would be surprised to see him take charge of a collegiate program, but Wednesday’s news makes it sound like he’s on the verge anyway.
