Tommy Rees - Offensive Coordinator

[Ray “The Mule” Finkle]

While I want Freeman fired right now, I know that is not going to happen. But it’s clear that Rees is going to leave or get canned because no way the admin or the fan base is going to stand for status quo. The future of this program unfortunately resides in recruiting because that seems to be all Freeman is good at.

Who is the replacement for Rees that is going to change the offense and build that relationship with CJ Carr and keep the ‘24 class intact and rolling?

 

[IrishTusker]

While I want Freeman fired right now, I know that is not going to happen. But it’s clear that Rees is going to leave or get canned because no way the admin or the fan base is going to stand for status quo. The future of this program unfortunately resides in recruiting because that seems to be all Freeman is good at.

Who is the replacement for Rees that is going to change the offense and build that relationship with CJ Carr and keep the ‘24 class intact and rolling?

The future of every program resides in recruiting.

 

[IrishSpartan]

Lmao at the firing Freeman comment. Let him get his own people on the field before you call for his head.

He needs to let the position coaches have more say in the offense when it comes to who plays. Did you see how happy chansi was after Merriweathers touchdown. And the fact that he wasn’t in after that SMH

 

[Ray “The Mule” Finkle]

The future of every program resides in recruiting.

Not if you can’t coach

 

[ColinKSU]

Who is the replacement for Rees that is going to change the offense and build that relationship with CJ Carr and keep the ‘24 class intact and rolling?

Not concerned about Carr.

If he wants to leave because they fired Tommy, that’s fine - Tommy would have failed to develop him anyway, and *literally every other OC in the country* could do a better job of recruiting the QB position on a yearly basis than Tommy has done during his time here.

If he stays, that’s great! The guy they hire will do a better job of developing him than Tommy would have done.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Their best playmaker is a tight end. However they got to this point doesn't matter. That's where it is. Focus on who to blame later and recruit your asses off.

I could not understand how Tyree was running up the middle and Estime was out running routes. That kind of stuff isn't fooling anyone.

Very frustrating, but in the end, Stanford really didn't have to change their looks much. They said "We're not givng you Mayer and we're going to make Pyne beat us."

 

[IrishTusker]

While I want Freeman fired right now, I know that is not going to happen. But it’s clear that Rees is going to leave or get canned because no way the admin or the fan base is going to stand for status quo. The future of this program unfortunately resides in recruiting because that seems to be all Freeman is good at.

Who is the replacement for Rees that is going to change the offense and build that relationship with CJ Carr and keep the ‘24 class intact and rolling?

Tom Herman, Brian Hartline, Dan Mullen...

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Tom Herman, Brian Hartline, Dan Mullen...

Pass x 3

 

[NDMatt91]

While I want Freeman fired right now, I know that is not going to happen. But it’s clear that Rees is going to leave or get canned because no way the admin or the fan base is going to stand for status quo. The future of this program unfortunately resides in recruiting because that seems to be all Freeman is good at.

Who is the replacement for Rees that is going to change the offense and build that relationship with CJ Carr and keep the ‘24 class intact and rolling?

I don't think we have to worry about Carr when Tommy is shown the door. A couple names who would be upgrades at OC:

Warren Ruggiero (Wake Forest)
Phil Longo (UNC)
Tom Herman

 

[Irish4life]

 

[Irish4life]

I don't think we have to worry about Carr when Tommy is shown the door. A couple names who would be upgrades at OC:

Warren Ruggiero (Wake Forest)
Phil Longo (UNC)
Tom Herman

First 2 yes, pass on Herman, add Ryan Grubb (Washington)

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Wake Forest has done a great job of identifying and developing offensive talent. They're not scattering offers to four and five star players. They find diamond in the rough receivers who can play.

I don't know if Ruggiero would come to ND and if he'd want to bring his own guys if he did, but it's worth reaching out for sure. He's been with Clawson for a long time which puzzles me.

I'm a hard hard pass on Tom Herman. You want this program to go forward, you stay the fuck away from that guy and his baggage. He's in a TV studio right now.

 

[ThePiombino]

He needs to be fired immediately, but I’ll settle for the end of the season.

There are some bigger “program issues” for Freeman than Rees, but this is Charley Molnar level bad. Maybe worse. He has no rhyme or reason to what he’s doing and it shows.

I said it before, I'll say it again -- Rees is trying to play 4D chess when all he has to do is play checkers. His incessant need to be "the smartest coordinator in the room" has been his (and this team's) undoing all season. Feels like he's more interested in impressing potential NFL suitors than running an efficient college offense. He needs to go, and like yesterday. I genuinely feel bad for Freeman. Obviously he wasn't going to turn down the job, but the Rees caveat is becoming his undoing.

 

[Grahambo]

I could see MF revisit Holmon Wiggins.

 

[Grahambo]

He needs to be fired immediately, but I’ll settle for the end of the season.

There are some bigger “program issues” for Freeman than Rees, but this is Charley Molnar level bad. Maybe worse. He has no rhyme or reason to what he’s doing and it shows.

Agreed.

Curious on the bigger program issues.

 

[Ray “The Mule” Finkle]

I don't think we have to worry about Carr when Tommy is shown the door. A couple names who would be upgrades at OC:

Warren Ruggiero (Wake Forest)
Phil Longo (UNC)
Tom Herman

I hope for someone dynamic, still hungry for a HC job, that has a track record for developing develop QBs. That’s what todays game requires. but I never get what I want so.

 

[stlnd01]

I don't think we have to worry about Carr when Tommy is shown the door. A couple names who would be upgrades at OC:

Warren Ruggiero (Wake Forest)
Phil Longo (UNC)
Tom Herman

Yeah I wouldn't worry about Carr. He/his family knows how college football coaching works. Whether he was fired or hired away I really doubt they ever expected Rees to be CJ's QB coach by the time CJ is starting QB for Notre Dame.

 

[ThePiombino]

I don't think we have to worry about Carr when Tommy is shown the door. A couple names who would be upgrades at OC:

Warren Ruggiero (Wake Forest)
Phil Longo (UNC)
Tom Herman

May as well get Ruggiero for a year before he heads to A&M.

 

[stlnd01]

May as well get Ruggiero for a year before he heads to A&M.

As long as he brings along a better/younger colleague to succeed him for three years that's fine.

 

[FOTY977]

Lmao at the firing Freeman comment. Let him get his own people on the field before you call for his head.

He needs to let the position coaches have more say in the offense when it comes to who plays. Did you see how happy chansi was after Merriweathers touchdown. And the fact that he wasn’t in after that SMH

Honestly—look at the programs that go through 3 coaches in 3 years. That’s how you end up like Nebraska, et al.

Now is the time to be vocal to the Swarbrick and the rest of the administration. If they’re unwilling to play ball with NIL, transfers, and the rest of the “supply lines” then this program truly won’t be relevant in the next era.

If in the next 2-3 years the university has changed nothing to compete at the highest level then no head coach will bring us to the top. If the school HAS invested in the program like it needs to be and Freeman still hasn’t shown big strides then the seat needs to heat up.

 

[Sea Turtle]

Rees needs to be fired this week. I don't even know if Freeman has the authority or even has it in him to do so.

 

[Irish4life]

He needs to be fired immediately, but I’ll settle for the end of the season.

There are some bigger “program issues” for Freeman than Rees, but this is Charley Molnar level bad. Maybe worse. He has no rhyme or reason to what he’s doing and it shows.

I think it's fairly obvious what Rees is doing, the problem is that it's stuck in the early 2000's, when Kirk Ferentz had top 10 scoring offenses.....

 

[FOTY977]

I don't think we have to worry about Carr when Tommy is shown the door. A couple names who would be upgrades at OC:

Warren Ruggiero (Wake Forest)
Phil Longo (UNC)
Tom Herman

+1 I quite like the Clawson coaching tree.

 

[tko]

The hope now is we somehow get to 7 or 8 wins and go play a bowl somewhere? Then Tommy gets hired to the NFL and he becomes another guy advancing his career? Optics aren’t as bad then right?

 

[goldendomer89]

The hope now is we somehow get to 7 or 8 wins and go play a bowl somewhere? Then Tommy gets hired to the NFL and he becomes another guy advancing his career? Optics aren’t as bad then right?

I don't care where he goes and don't care about optics.

Just get him the hell away from this program. He's the offensive version of BVG.

 

[NDMatt91]

I don't care where he goes and don't care optics.

Just get him the hell away from this program. He's the offensive version of BVG.

He's lucky he graduated from ND. Otherwise he might qualify for a restraining order. Shouldn't be within 500 feet of the ND campus.

 

[FOTY977]

The hope now is we somehow get to 7 or 8 wins and go play a bowl somewhere? Then Tommy gets hired to the NFL and he

He's lucky he graduated from ND. Otherwise he might qualify for a restraining order. Shouldn't be within 500 feet of the ND campus.

If he didn’t go to ND and didn’t come from a football family sperm he would have been laughed out of the process for the job to begin with.

 

[NDMatt91]

If he didn’t go to ND and didn’t come from a football family sperm he would have been laughed out of the process for the job.

Absolutely. Nepotism hire/promotion by Kelly and I can't help but wonder if being a "ND man" is why Swarbrick bent over backwards to keep him before he even named the next HC.

 

[irishandy]

If you want to beat Notre Dame this is the perfect game film. Stanford kept Mayer and our running game in check. Mayer did not play a bad game.

I think its time for Freeman to have a mid year review with Rees.

 

[NDMatt91]

The frustrating thing, apart from Rees' average to mediocre talent evaluation/recruiting and QB coaching ability, is that I just don't think he can adapt. I've brought this up before, but just take a look at Lane Kiffin. When he was the OC at USC they routinely had the QB under center with 2 TE's and a fullback. When Saban hired him in 2014 he adapted. He inherited Blake Sims at QB, who was a converted RB, and went to the spread and utilized the RPO. His Alabama offenses were completely different from the USC offenses when he was the OC.