Tommy Rees - Offensive Coordinator

[Some Irish Bloke]

If we get Moore he's a genius (and I hope he is, because I've been a big Tommy supporter), but if we don't it's another cycle of us playing catch-up and going with plan B-C for the most important position on the field. The only reason people aren't more pissed off is because a good 24 QB is committing at the same time we're finding out we've probably whiffed again at finding a gamechanger in 23.

But these events aren't unrelated...

 

[greyhammer90]

But these events aren't unrelated...

They appear to be related, but not in any way that's positive for your argument that this has been well handled. By all accounts this isn't Moore walking away from ND because Carr is committing. This is ND walking away from Moore and proceeding ahead because we feel we've already lost Moore and he's no longer in the fold. Do you typically consider losing a once committed recruit to be a good thing?

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

Rees has a LOOOONNNGGGG way to go to be considered a elite recruiter, Carr is a good start, but striking out on a elite prospect this cycle is another failure on his part.

 

[T-Boone]

Has Carr committed?

Rees probably locked in with Moore as he knew the other options were not coming. I’ll cut him slack.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Has Carr committed?

Rees probably locked in with Moore as he knew the other options were not coming. I’ll cut him slack.

 

[ulukinatme]

I was going to comment, but my Louisville bros @IrishLion, @Irish#1, and @Some Irish Bloke are already in front of this.

 

[irishff1014]

I'm a big Tommy supporter, and it's great that we're going to have a top tier 24 QB locked up, but I'm not sure how this is being spun into a positive when it essentially means that Tommy failed again for the class of 23. Turns out 23 was like 22 in that Tommy bet on the wrong horse to end up at ND, and now we're going to settle and wait on "the guy" to arrive after another year. I remember when it looked like we lead for Vizz and told him "thanks, but no thanks" because we wanted to go all in on Moore. Turns out that was a miscalculation.

Obviously if Carr reclassifies that changes everything. But even if you're of the opinion now that Moore is a headcase and that it would never work with him, then Tommy misread the situation and bet the 23 class on a headcase instead of keeping things open and pushing for other top tier QBs.

Everyone knows that i am not Tommy's biggest fan but this could be just as much on Freeman as it is on Tommy.

 

[ThePiombino]

Everyone knows that i am not Tommy's biggest fan but this could be just as much on Freeman as it is on Tommy.

Yes, but Freeman has proven he can recruit and deserves a pass. Rees has not and does not.

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[irishff1014]

Yes, but Freeman has proven he can recruit and deserves a pass. Rees has not and does not.

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I do understand your point as well.

 

[ulukinatme]

Yes, but Freeman has proven he can recruit and deserves a pass. Rees has not and does not.

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Obviously he can and does if we supposedly had Moore as a silent commit, and it seems we have Carr now. 5* talent doesn't grow on trees, there's only so many in a cycle and they typically go to the big time schools that have churned out NFL talent. Between Buchner, Angeli, and Pyne we haven't exactly been scraping the bottom of the bowl talent wise, and that's with the poor track record /w NFL QB talent and ND's inherent limitations. I'd say he's done pretty well all things considered. If Rees is recruiting better now it leads one to believe that Kelly is the one that was holding Rees back since the only change has been the HC.

 

[stlnd01]

I realize that some Notre Dame fans have been disdaining Tommy Rees for so long it's basically part of their identity at this point, but this all gets to be a lot.

 

[CoachB]

I think they handled Dante's recruitment as well as to be expected. If it was me, the lesson learned here would be that in the future if a kid gave me a silent commit and was still visiting other schools, I would tell them that I would still be recruiting the position. Once the kid committed to me publicly, I would then treat it like a commit. It's like dating a cute girl. If she tells me that she is committed to only me in private, but isn't willing to tell any of her friends or family that we are dating, annnd she still wants to go to the club and dance with other guys, I am a fool to think we are exclusive.

 

[NDRock]

I realize that some Notre Dame fans have been disdaining Tommy Rees for so long it's basically part of their identity at this point, but this all gets to be a lot.

Just curious, do you think he gets criticized more than other coaches? There have been plenty of past and current coaches who have been criticized for their lack of recruiting success and/or the success their position group. Rees has more fan boys than any coach I can remember and as a past player, I think it’s warranted. I personally really like the guy and hope he succeeds but he’s not above criticism. IMO.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

I realize that some Notre Dame fans have been disdaining Tommy Rees for so long it's basically part of their identity at this point, but this all gets to be a lot.

What has he really done that makes him beyond criticism? He is not a great recruiter (history shows that) and he has been a questionable OC. I am curious how he does without the influence of BK constantly being around. IMO Coach Freeman should have cut him loose (but our AD prevented that).

 

[NDMatt91]

What has he really done that makes him beyond criticism? He is not a great recruiter (history shows that) and he has been a questionable OC. I am curious how he does without the influence of BK constantly being around. IMO Coach Freeman should have cut him loose (but our AD prevented that).

My issue is still with BK more than Rees. I still feel it was an incredibly lazy hire and there was really no national search that we know of. Rees is what he is, but if Angeli or whoever the QB in this class ends up being don’t pan out and TB doesn’t take the next step then he deserves every bit of criticism.

 

[stlnd01]

What has he really done that makes him beyond criticism? He is not a great recruiter (history shows that) and he has been a questionable OC. I am curious how he does without the influence of BK constantly being around. IMO Coach Freeman should have cut him loose (but our AD prevented that).

I'm not saying he's beyond criticism. At all. I happen to think he's a very skilled developer of quarterbacks and a good offensive coordinator who plays to the strengths of his personnel but sometimes could be more aggressive or creative. I also agree his recruiting leaves some to be desired, even as he's about to land the commitment of Notre Dame's highest-rated QB since Weis was coaching here.

Rees is who he is. Mostly I have been listening to people complain about the guy for most of the last 12 years and I sometimes wonder what some people might think of our OC if he'd come in from somewhere else, without all the baggage that began when he threw a duck in the end zone and lost his first-ever game to Tulsa as a true freshman.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

What will people move on to if Tommy lands Dante too?
I know there will be something wrong with his recruiting.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Some people just can't see the forest for the TRees.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

I'm not saying he's beyond criticism. At all. I happen to think he's a very skilled developer of quarterbacks and a good offensive coordinator who plays to the strengths of his personnel but sometimes could be more aggressive or creative. I also agree his recruiting leaves some to be desired, even as he's about to land the commitment of Notre Dame's highest-rated QB since Weis was coaching here.

Rees is who he is. Mostly I have been listening to people complain about the guy for most of the last 12 years and I sometimes wonder what some people might think of our OC if he'd come in from somewhere else, without all the baggage that began when he threw a duck in the end zone and lost his first-ever game to Tulsa as a true freshman.

I liked Rees as a player because he achieved more than I ever thought he could. He was a a limited player who rescued our butt's a few times and I have respect for that fact. Rees as an OC? I was at first excited, but than started to watch and it seems like a slightly modified BK offense.

His recruiting has been a big let down. He is not a good closer up to this point. I will be happy if Carr commits, but we have a LONG way to him signing.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

What will people move on to if Tommy lands Dante too?
I know there will be something wrong with his recruiting.

Um, I will wait to see if he improves at being an OC. But your what if's are not a reality right now and history shows us it likely will never be reality.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Um, I will wait to see if he improves at being an OC. But your what if's are not a reality right now and history shows us it likely will never be reality.

Can we ban this guy, please.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

People seem to think this is Tommy's fault that Moore keeps moving the goal posts.

Coffee is for closers. Dante is only moving the goal posts because Tommy can’t get him to stop moving them

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

Can we ban this guy, please.

That is two people you want banned this morning because people question saint Rees. Grow a pair snowflake.

 

[ulukinatme]

@TNUtoNotreDame Why do you think Rees is bad as an OC? Despite not getting a Spring in his first season in 2020 he did quite well getting to the playoffs. 2021 wasn't shabby either despite both seasons being very limited in the WR position group and at least half a season of poor OL play. He arguably gets more out of his starting QBs than what scouts say they're capable of. Both Book and Coan played above their 3 star billing. He managed to orchestrate a Fiesta Bowl record offensively until Ok St realized two of our WRs couldn't beat tight coverage. You say history shows us he'll never improve as an OC...what are you even talking about?

 

[ulukinatme]

Just curious, do you think he gets criticized more than other coaches? There have been plenty of past and current coaches who have been criticized for their lack of recruiting success and/or the success their position group. Rees has more fan boys than any coach I can remember and as a past player, I think it’s warranted. I personally really like the guy and hope he succeeds but he’s not above criticism. IMO.

He's not above criticism, but there's certainly some fans that still have an axe to grind against the guy. I totally get that he wasn't the most gifted physical QB we've fielded, no question. People wanted to blame him for his physical limitations, but rarely did these same people criticize the supposedly more talented backups that struggled when their number got called. I always found that odd. Fair criticism is fine, but the guy was getting death threats for giving 100% when he was never projected to start. If anything these people should have been asking why the Dayne Crists and Andrew Hendrixes struggled to unseat Rees in practice as much higher rated recruits...or if they didn't like the 2013 season consider the fact Rees was starting again because Golson dropped the ball in the classroom. Right or wrong, he's the guy that bailed us out when others didn't step up to the plate.

That's all in the past though. Whatever physical limitations he may have had don't translate to coaching. Often times when people are critical of Rees as an OC they don't have anything to really back it up with. There's no stat comparisons to previous OCs, there's no analysis, there's no considerations of what has been done on the field and what he has to work with given poor recruiting at positions prior. 2020 is a great example. He had a glorified TE in McKinley at WR1. Later Sko stepped up, a Northwestern transfer, as WR2. Our Slot ended up being Avery, a converted QB. Not exactly a team of world beaters. Somehow we still made it to the playoffs. So there's rarely substance to these opinions. All that tells me is they don't like the guy because they think he cost us a Michigan game in 2011 or some other silly reason.

If Rees does have more fans than past coaches it's likely because of the loyalty. I know I'm one of the more vocal ones, but I also tend to push back more when I see the hate flowing. He unarguably gets the most out of the guys they put on the field, but some people question the recruiting of the QB position. We don't really know if BK had a hand in that. If Carr does announce tomorrow that would be quite a coup and it would lend some credence to the idea BK didn't want to chase stars. I also still believe that a trio of Buchner, Pyne, and Angeli are probably as good or better than we should expect given ND's recent history with NFL talent (not to mention struggles on the big college stage). We would be blessed to get a talent like Carr to be honest. We certainly don't deserve it.

Rees' first class of freshmen last season had some real standouts in Fisher, Styles, Alt, Colzie, and Diggs. I can't remember a time when so many freshmen saw meaningful snaps and often looked better than the upperclassmen they played next to. It lends itself to the idea that recruiting under Long and some past position coaches was poor. The future is bright and it will be getting brighter with the future recruits.

 

[Irish#1]

Obviously he can and does if we supposedly had Moore as a silent commit, and it seems we have Carr now. 5* talent doesn't grow on trees, there's only so many in a cycle and they typically go to the big time schools that have churned out NFL talent. Between Buchner, Angeli, and Pyne we haven't exactly been scraping the bottom of the bowl talent wise, and that's with the poor track record /w NFL QB talent and ND's inherent limitations. I'd say he's done pretty well all things considered. If Rees is recruiting better now it leads one to believe that Kelly is the one that was holding Rees back since the only change has been the HC.

If Tommy isn't landing three 5* QB's every year, he's a failure. End of debate!

 

[Irish#1]

What will people move on to if Tommy lands Dante too?
I know there will be something wrong with his recruiting.

No where. They're firmly planted in the Tommy is a failure camp. Tommy could land a five star every year and the #1 offense in the country and some will complain about the shirt he wore on game day.

 

[Irish'15]

If Tommy isn't landing three 5* QB's every year, he's a failure. End of debate!

Um, no

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

He's not above criticism, but there's certainly some fans that still have an axe to grind against the guy. I totally get that he wasn't the most gifted physical QB we've fielded, no question. People wanted to blame him for his physical limitations, but rarely did these same people criticize the supposedly more talented backups that struggled when their number got called. I always found that odd. Fair criticism is fine, but the guy was getting death threats for giving 100% when he was never projected to start. If anything these people should have been asking why the Dayne Crists and Andrew Hendrixes struggled to unseat Rees in practice as much higher rated recruits...or if they didn't like the 2013 season consider the fact Rees was starting again because Golson dropped the ball in the classroom. Right or wrong, he's the guy that bailed us out when others didn't step up to the plate.

That's all in the past though. Whatever physical limitations he may have had don't translate to coaching. Often times when people are critical of Rees as an OC they don't have anything to really back it up with. There's no stat comparisons to previous OCs, there's no analysis, there's no considerations of what has been done on the field and what he has to work with given poor recruiting at positions prior. 2020 is a great example. He had a glorified TE in McKinley at WR1. Later Sko stepped up, a Northwestern transfer, as WR2. Our Slot ended up being Avery, a converted QB. Not exactly a team of world beaters. Somehow we still made it to the playoffs. So there's rarely substance to these opinions. All that tells me is they don't like the guy because they think he cost us a Michigan game in 2011 or some other silly reason.

If Rees does have more fans than past coaches it's likely because of the loyalty. I know I'm one of the more vocal ones, but I also tend to push back more when I see the hate flowing. He unarguably gets the most out of the guys they put on the field, but some people question the recruiting of the QB position. We don't really know if BK had a hand in that. If Carr does announce tomorrow that would be quite a coup and it would lend some credence to the idea BK didn't want to chase stars. I also still believe that a trio of Buchner, Pyne, and Angeli are probably as good or better than we should expect given ND's recent history with NFL talent and struggles on the big college stage. We would be blessed to get a talent like Carr to be honest. We certainly don't deserve it.

Rees' first class of freshmen last season had some real standouts in Fisher, Styles, Alt, Colzie, and Diggs. I can't remember a time when so many freshmen saw meaningful snaps and often looked better than the upperclassmen they played next to. It lends itself to the idea that recruiting under Long and some past position coaches was poor. The future is bright and it will be getting brighter with the future recruits.

I rooted hard for him as a QB. I was a fan because he had so little talent but he just won games. My dislike of him is the grab offense he has shown mirrors BK's in to many ways. I was and still am a huge anti-BK guy. I hate the abandonment of the run at a drop or a hat. I hate the fact screens are not used to soften of defenses more (He did it more at the end of the season). I think my "anger" is not really toward Rees, it is BK's crappy offense and Rees mirrors it strongly. I hope, beg (prayer is not needed for such a trivial thing) that it was Rees not be given the freedom working under BK. I hope that Rees shows some creativity and really ditches the BK offense.

 

[ulukinatme]

I rooted hard for him as a QB. I was a fan because he had so little talent but he just won games. My dislike of him is the grab offense he has shown mirrors BK's in to many ways. I was and still am a huge anti-BK guy. I hate the abandonment of the run at a drop or a hat. I hate the fact screens are not used to soften of defenses more (He did it more at the end of the season). I think my "anger" is not really toward Rees, it is BK's crappy offense and Rees mirrors it strongly. I hope, beg (prayer is not needed for such a trivial thing) that it was Rees not be given the freedom working under BK. I hope that Rees shows some creativity and really ditches the BK offense.

If you didn't like BK's offense, you must have liked the exciting air raid we showed in the Fiesta, right? Obviously we weren't finding running room on the ground with OK State's stout defense. It was a good adjustment while the coverage was soft though. It was pretty shocking to see us go all Mike Leach on them. I think we're going to see a lot of electric offense in the next few years with these new recruits and BK's input removed.