Tommy Rees is sending an Irish goodbye to Notre Dame for Alabama this upcoming season.
The former Irish quarterback and offensive coordinator accepted the OC position at Alabama on Friday. Despite receiving a raise from Notre Dame of around two million, according to Football Scoop, he bolted for Alabama when Nick Saban called.
Rees, 30, who was Notre Dame’s quarterback from 2010-13, recorded a 23-8 record along with 7,670 passing yards and 61 touchdowns as a player.
In 2016, Rees was an offensive assistant with the then-San Diego Chargers, who were 5-11 in his one year with the team.
Following Reese’s brief stint with the Chargers, he returned to his alma mater in 2017 under Brian Kelly where he continued his winning record, helping the team to a 31-8 record as a quarterbacks coach and then later as the offensive coordinator under Marcus Freeman after Kelly left for LSU.
Rees’ return to South Bend included a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2020 and a Fiesta Bowl appearance after the 2021 season.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that Rees was given an opportunity to leave Notre Dame. Kelly offered him a position at LSU after he left Notre Dame, but Rees decided to stay.
At Alabama, Rees will be replacing Bill O’Brien, who has left to return to the NFL as the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.
Rees will be Alabama’s sixth offensive coordinator in the past eight years.
