Your weekly dose of Notre Dame news, opinion, and other stuff.
Top News
I am pleased to announce that Ian Book is headed to Super Bowl LVII.
According to reports, Tommy Rees has emerged as the leading candidate to become the new offensive coordinator at Alabama and is on campus this Thursday speaking with Nick Saban about the job.
Brandon Joseph, Michael Mayer, Jarrett Patterson, and Isaiah Foskey have been invited to the NFL Combine which begins on February 26th later this month.
The 2023 ACC football schedule was released on Monday. Each of NC State (UConn), Duke (UConn), Louisville (NC State), Pitt (Wake Forest), Clemson (NC State), and Wake Forest (NC State) do not have a bye prior to facing Notre Dame.
Syracuse and Pitt announced their November matchup will be played at Yankee Stadium on the 100-year anniversary of their first meeting in the Bronx.
The Big 12 announced their 2023 football schedule as a new (but brief!) 14-team conference, including new members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
James Laurinaitis has left Notre Dame to return to Ohio State as a defensive graduate assistant.
Miami has fired offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.
North Carolina has bumped the pay of Mack Brown to $5 million per year and extended the current 71-year old through the 2027 season.
NBC has officially announced Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge, and Kathryn Tappen for their Big Ten television broadcast team.
Several reports from across the country are claiming the NCAA is beefing up its enforcement staff and that NIL penalties are coming in the future. This will include a new “burden of proof” in which schools will need to prove certain allegations are not true, which sounds like it’ll be a disaster in true NCAA form.
Uniform of the Week
Today’s uniform popped up on my Twitter timeline over the weekend. I had never seen these before and if you haven’t either, please sit down if you’re not already before scrolling further. I present you the 2015 Eastern Michigan Eagles “Alarm Clock” uniforms from 2015. As far as I’m aware EMU only wore these once in a game against Old Dominion and never again.
The left side of the helmet has a silver alarm clock style number and the right side (you can just barely see the beginning of it) has a feather coming off the back of their “E” logo. The jersey is a disaster of epic proportions. The piping is decades old out of touch. Then we have the yellow arm pits and shoulder area. The number and script on the front is so jarring, especially in those tight and stretchy Adidas uniforms. Look how distorted the Adidas logo is on the upper right chest! Then, we have random numbers on the pants that don’t match the alarm clock style on the rest of the uniform.
Recruiting
Notre Dame target edge rusher Jaxson Jones (0.8604) committed to Oregon on Sunday.
Linebacker Adarius Hayes (0.9660) committed to Florida with an Irish offer in hand.
Safety Noah Dixon (0.9236) committed to Clemson. The Tigers also picked up defensive lineman Champ Thompson (0.9137).
Running back Dwight Phillips (0.9617) is headed to Georgia. The Dawgs also picked up the nation’s top corner as Ellis Robinson IV (0.9930) is headed to Athens.
Linebacker Wendell Gregory (0.9419) gave a verbal to South Carolina.
Wisconsin picked up a verbal from tight end Grant Stec (0.9192).
The old National Signing Day passed this past Wednesday for the 2023 class. Freak athlete Nyckoles Harbor (0.9901) committed to South Carolina. Also, the Jaden Rashada (0.9623) saga appears to be over as the quarterback lands at Arizona State to face off against Drew Pyne.
YouTube Channel
I live in a small village in New York which like any place has its positives and negatives. One thing we struggle with is our water because many pipes around town are old and in the process of being replaced. So a few times per year there’s either construction or something breaks and the water may get a little discolored and/or need to be boiled. Whatever, it’s fine.
At times like that, I often think about how water on earth is old and just recycled and how weird it is that we clean all of this disgustingly dirty water to use again. Some water being older than the earth itself is another mind blowing fact. What does everyone’s water consumption look like? I try to drink a full 32 ounce Nalgene of filtered water every day to stay hydrated. Beyond that, we buy Hint water for home.
Tunes
I never liked Linkin Park in a way that made me want to buy their music or seek them out any more than what I’d hear on the radio or elsewhere. For a period of 4 years in the early 2000’s it seemed like LP were everywhere, and credit to them, they wrote a bunch of hit songs in those early albums. They also were such a defining part of the first part of the new century of music and fashion that is starting to feel strangely old and much too long ago.
I know it’s not a fair comparison because Linkin Park were a million times more musically mature and talented but I can’t separate them from other nu metal bands like Limp Bizkit or Papa Roach. All of this music takes me back to a very, very, very specific period in time. I had a roommate in college who liked these bands and it reminds me of our late night booze-filled battles playing NHL Hitz 2002 on Playstation 2 with the music blaring through computer speakers. We were so cool.
Trivia
How many times has Nick Saban-led Alabama finished outside the top 10 in the AP Poll?
The Other Football
It was deadline day on Tuesday as the winter transfer slammed shut this week. A quick recap of the deals since the last Rambler:
Right back Joao Cancelo moves from City to Bayern Munich on loan with a $70 million option to buy this summer.
American midfielder Weston McKennie moves from Juventus to Leeds on loan with an option to purchase at the end of this season.
Arsenal have signed Chelsea midfielder Jorginho for $12 million.
Chelsea’s spending spree concluded with the $131 million acquisition of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez which set the new record for a transfer fee in Premier League history.
Spurs signed fullback Pedro Porro on loan from Sporting for a $5 million fee with an obligation to buy for $40 million this summer.
Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer is headed to Man United on loan until the end of the season.
Southampton have signed Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana for $25 million.
Streaming
Folks, I was hyped when I learned Oliver Stone was making a movie about Alexander the Great. Early in high school I read several books on his conquests and roughly 8 years later this movie came out in the theater. I was so damn excited. I recently received this huge Smithsonian world history by maps coffee table book and it does an amazing job showing how insane the amount of land and empires Alexander conquered in such a short period of time.
Too bad this movie sucked. I remember being sad about it in the theater but have never gone back to re-watch it. Someone bought me the DVD later in the 2000’s and I never even opened it. I’m a huge Colin Farrell fan and I don’t think he fit well playing the role of Alexander. The film was also heinously long and showed how difficult it can be to sum up someone’s life in a movie. Alexander is so much better in the books.
A Look Back
The 2011 season and into that off-season prior to the uNDefeated campaign was a big one for our old blog on SB Nation. Our community was growing quickly and it was a very busy and chaotic time in the world of Notre Dame. When I think back to the Champs Sports Bowl that concluded 2011, it takes me back to those days when we were pumping out a lot of content and no one knew where the Brian Kelly era was headed. This was also, somewhat quietly, one of those games that was so incredibly winnable that the Irish completely blew in such frustrating fashion. I think everyone was so done with the 2011 season at this point, so it has escaped a bit of the wrath normally associated with tough losses.
I remember this game for Michael Floyd returning a punt–and being really good at it! Andrew Hendrix played some quarterback, throwing 8 passes for 24 yards with an interception. Notre Dame led 14-3 and never scored again. Of course, who can forget those sandstorm beige pants from this season? However, more than anything I remember the Tommy Rees throw at 13:04 in this video. The ball is at the 28-yard line of Florida State, 1 & 20, with just under 3 minutes remaining, and Notre Dame trails by 4 points.
I will NEVER understand the decision to throw this ball to a blanketed John Goodman with deep safety help over the top. This is in the running as the worst throw in Notre Dame history. Everything about it is just so sad.
18S Paddock Club
Previewing each team on the grid for the 2023 season…
Team: Scuderia Ferrari
Founded: 1929
2022 Result: 2nd
Base: Maranello, Italy
Owners: Ferrari S.p.A.
Power Unit: Ferrari
Team Principal: Fred Vasseur
Drivers: Charles Leclerc (6th season) & Carlos Sainz Jr. (9th season)
The Good: Ferrari won 4 races in 2022, their most since 2018. The F1-75 car was a beast during qualifying picking up 9 poles from Leclerc and 3 from Sainz. Their 2nd place finish was also their best since 2019 and completed a bit of a resurgence in a post-Sebastian Vettel era.
The Bad: The engine reliability was in shambles for the first quarter to first half of the season. The team was plagued by numerous strategy errors which left a ton of points on the table. Internally, all was not well as new Ferrari chairman John Elkann was not a huge fan of team principal Mattia Binotto and ousted the leader from the team heading into 2023.
2023 Hope: There have been positive, although rather ambitious and suspect, reports about Ferrari’s new 2023 car and how it’s performing in the simulator, plus additional information trickling out about improved horsepower and reliability. All aboard the hype train! However, there are concerns about jettisoning Binotto and how the team will deal with that change to new boss Fred Vasseur from Alfa Romeo. Still, if they can improve reliability and make fewer strategic mistakes this could be an exciting season. The car should be good enough to push closer towards 1st place.
Trivia Answer:
Once (2007)
I knew Saban’s first year was bad, so that was one, and couldn’t think of another year in the last decade and a half, but just assumed there would be one, so guessed two. Whoops.
Ridiculous.
It’s a pretty good run, I guess.
I get bored at work, so I usually go through my 24 ounce bottle 4 or 5 times, plus another glass or two with dinner and then a few splashes in my bourbon at night.
You can’t convince me LP didn’t just repackage the same whispering, incoherent screaming and rap-talking over different tracks of cats walking across a Casio keyboard. One of those bands that I’ll truly never understand how someone would enjoy listening to.
Pretty cool to see #70 playing QB at EMU
I’m very indifferent to TFR, but this can’t possibly be true, can it? Is Saban just trying to fuck with BK?
120+ ounces of straight water per day!??
I 100% don’t mess around. Crystal clear urine.
Source
DrIck at the urinal again.
I thought there was a new study done recently that this much water was actually too much. I mean, it’s a lot.
Jealous dry guy struggling to drink 32 ounces, over here.
I do drink other stuff throughout the day!
Arid Murtaugh, amirite
Well your fluid intake isn’t just from drinking glasses of water. It’s in your food and other drinks and stuff. If you actually drink that much water you are definitely over doing it
Not if I exclusively eat oyster crackers and Peanut Butter M&Ms
No one ever killed more Greeks than Alexander “The Great”.
What about heart disease???
Mediterranean diet…..Just pointing out that the Greeks back then weren’t big fans.
They had it coming.
I think this is the best thing for Rees, Freeman, and ND.
I’ve said it before, Rees is a good OC but he’s equal to his talent level. At Bama he will likely be elite since he will have A++ talent at every position. The last time Bama wasn’t in the top 10 in PPG was 2017 and they finished 13th. Rees had ND at 18th in 2020 which was his highest. ND had top 25 talent on offense and that’s where they finished for the most part. If Rees had started at a place like Texas Tech, Oregon State, or Va Tech I would guess his offenses would have been in the 50’s. I never got the sense that he elevated the talent by a substantial margin based on scheme or play-calling. For the argument that other coaches know better and we should trust their opinion implicitly, that’s a bold argument to make IMO. There are plenty of coaches out there that have proven to not be very successful but have strong opinions on matters and that doesn’t mean they are infallible.
As for Freeman and ND. I think this is the perfect exit strategy for CMF. He gets a clean break, but didn’t have to fire the “ND Man”. He can bring someone in who he trusts implicitly and that can only mean good things for a coach who showed in his first year to adjust and adapt quickly. I’m picking up some similarities between Dabo’s first couple of years at Clemson and CMF. Let’s just hope we have the patience.
One caveat to this whole thing is Bill Rees must also go. You can’t have him in there still and have TR gone. I think no OC candidate should be off the table even those who maybe just moved like Phil Longo or Hartline. Rees is leaving, why can’t ND pull one of those guys.
Hartline’s not moving laterally from tOSU, especially before he even really starts.
Coordinators come and go, so it’s not the worst day ever, but it’s a step back for ND if their young, rising star OC gets poached by an SEC school, a year after their winningest head coach got poached by an SEC school. Tough looks, but such is life at this place in the food chain.
While it could be good for Freeman to start fresh and get to have him choose an OC that he wants, there’s some pressure on this too. Especially since he’s not exactly offensively savvy, a mediocre-to-bad hire might put his whole ND future in jeopardy. A home run hire solidifies him. Big choice ahead with a wide scope of possible outcomes.
No brainer good move for Rees though. Getting in the Saban tree will no doubt improve him via perception and also in reality make him learn and grow professionally.
I don’t think Hartline is leaving either. Using it as an example of just because someone took a job 2 months ago, doesn’t mean ND shouldn’t call them and see if they would listen. We expect the same of the staff regarding recruits, should probably expect the same regarding coaching hires.
Hell let’s be honest, Rees could literally learn nothing new next year at Bama and it would be a boon career wise. He’ll have a top offense, likely playoff appearance, and a Heisman finalist somewhere on the team.
I think Freeman will find a good OC with no issues. I thought the other offensive hires that were connected to him like Stuckey, Deland, and Parker did well and recruited well.
I would hope Freeman does hire a good coordinator, and maybe should reserve forming too much of an opinion until it all shakes out.
However, I can’t help but notice you listed offensive position coaches. What about Freeman’s lone coordinator level hire to potentially point towards what that tells us? Not exactly the most inspiring or innovative move to add Al Golden, so I’d say it’s just more hopeful to hold out thinking it will end up being great. Hope it is too, but it’s not the best of spots to be in.
The caveat with Golden is that I think Jack had recommended someone like him as a DC because of his prior head coaching experience (that would be helpful for a brand new HC). If he has to hire a new OC, he would not have that factor in play and would be able to focus on quality of scheme, recruiting chops, and fit with his vision.
I hear ya and didn’t love the Golden hire. Similar to spider-man, I always got the feeling the Golden hire was someone in his ear saying he needed to hire someone with HC experience. I recall some other names of being higher on the list before Golden came to the front of the pack.
Having said all that, yes I agree I should be more cautious based on the Golden hire. Though part of me thinks Golden=Rees so if MF hires another Golden we stay about the same. I liked his offensive hires though especially for a guy who everyone says he knows nothing about offense.
Valid and reasonable context added by you and spidey. I’d hope that level of optimism pays off.
The other side of this coin — two of the best programs in the country, both recent national title winners, think ND is doing something right with coaching hires. Getting our coaches “poached” by the best teams in the country is certainly preferable to the endless cycle of firings we got stuck in in the 2000s.
Also, I think it’s beneficial for ND to be seen as a place where coaches can have success and leave on their own terms if they want. The idea that ND must be a final destination, die or get fired job is not normal or healthy.
I hope Rees gets the job. It would be good for him and ND.
If Rees ends up taking Hartman and/or Carr with him, is it still good for ND?
Don’t need or expect Notre Dame to be a final destination, but it would be nicer to be better than being a stepping stone to the real big time of college football (SEC). For instance, Rees moving onto the NFL or getting a promotion to be an NCAA HC would be more favorable and healthy outcome than a lateral move to a bigger/better program.
And, hell, the reports coming out that we can’t even presume that$$ was a factor, I think only makes it worse and more clear of Notre Dame’s place in the pecking order, if it comes to it.
In the long run, I think yes. Losing Hartman would be devastating for the 2023 season, but that’s only one season. Carr is still in high school, and while I hope he turns out well, I don’t trust Rees’s QB evaluation.
Rees going to Bama would be an elegant and mutually beneficial solution to what is becoming an awkward and complex problem for ND.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on that last part. Notre Dame gave Rees a raise last year to fend off an SEC offer, and now this year they apparently would be willing to give him another raise to fend off another SEC offer. No one that matters inside the program would agree that Rees as the OC is awkward or problematic. They want him around in 2023, bolting for a lateral move isn’t what I’d see as elegant in the least, it would likely be unfortunate at best at this point in the cycle.
I seem to remember when we said no thanks to coordinators who wanted back-to-back raises to fend off SEC jobs.
I don’t think Bama is a lateral move from Tommy’s perspective; it’s a step up.
That is the whole problem. ND is not on Bama’s level, but this would show we are a bigger step down than we think we are and means we are not particularly close to championship level.
Well…that’s the truth, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, that’s the sad truth with all of this…what this conveys about ND’s current place in college football’s pecking order
What coordinators do you think right now would NOT leave their positions to go coach under Saban? I guess Brian Ferentz wouldn’t leave his dad. But are there that many others?
Washington OC Ryan Grubb met with Alabama, and reportedly turned them down recently.
It is the truth, and probably obvious to most people on this site. But that truth isn’t necessarily obvious to all.
This makes it much clearer to everyone, especially to the 17 year olds we are trying to convince ND can win a NC.
Totally. And it’s definitely not good or beneficial for Notre Dame to be in such a position, even if we can all objectively see that’s basically the truth.
Exactly, Juicebox. This is precisely the problem. It just goes to show very clearly what the pecking order is. This would be a very bad look for ND – even though of course it would be a good career move for Rees who would get to learn from Saban and if all goes well (which it should) would be in line for a pretty nice head-coaching gig or an NFL OC gig. You basically get your pick of jobs if you are a bama coordinator for a couple of good years.
There’s maybe, maybe, 2 other schools on Alabama’s level? (UGA and I’m struggling to fill in the other one between OSU, Clemson & now USC?) Anyone who thought ND was :::close::: to Alabama’s level is staring their argument in bad faith. ND is in a pretty select group in the next level of teams and if coaches started moving laterally for little to no gain financially, that would be more of an issue (OU, Texas, LSU, UF, Miami, Michigan, Oregon)
Right. I don’t understand the fretting about how Tommy’s move to Bama suddenly reveals ND for what it really is. That has been apparent to anyone following college football for the last decade plus.
I’m not fretting or realizing that at all, that aspect of being a stepping stone is not really what matters and more of a distraction at this point. Of course Alabama is a better job than Notre Dame.
The point is it’s not good in any way for ND to lose a rising star coordinator to a bigger/better job. There’s no elegance or benefits for the program, especially in the short-term and considering the 2023 season hinges on that coordinator and the QB he brought in..
Is it possible we will upgrade at OC, QB coach, or both?
Through Christ anything is possible, but in Marcus Freeman’s crucial year #2, Rees’ late, unexpected and unwanted departure is more likely to trigger a disaster scenario in the short term (i.e. Hartman leaving too).
Maybe, I don’t know. To use a recent example, we had a DC (Elko) lured away after 1 year (and 1 year into Kelly 2.0) by the promise of a huge SEC payday. That was not a disaster scenario and, in fact, got us a better DC in Lea.
Lea was seen as a rising star and being groomed for DC. There’s not 2023 version of Lea that’s a plug and play like that, so yeah I don’t know either. Especially enough to pretend it’s a good thing
It is good if it leads to something better. Maybe TFR is a savant, but that hasn’t been realized at ND. Some of that’s on him, some of that’s on circumstances, but it is what it is.
Press x to doubt you’ll find something better in February for 2023.
By wanting to match, ND wants Rees in 2023. It’s at least a temporary step back if they lose him. Whatever may come to be in the distant future is too hazy to be known.
That’s all I’m saying. Just that this situation isn’t a good or positive one for Notre Dame. Some ppl don’t like Rees and think it will be fine, and that’s cool too.
If Rees under contract (I assume?) at ND is available in February, anyone is available. Especially if ND is willing to shell out $$ to keep Rees. That $$ is now available.
Fair enough. We’ll see how it goes in the big scheme of things. What you’re saying makes sense, but is straying from what I was talking towards.
The initial stance wasn’t “let’s see who replaces him to see if it ends up being good or not” it was simply about Rees’s departure being a positive for Notre Dame at this point. I don’t agree with that.
I’m on the same page hooks. This is not good for ND. It only cements us as being below Bama and could be a huge setback for Freeman.
Year 2 for him is super important especially as he bridges years until his recruiting improvement shows up in the upperclassmen. But momentum could quickly and easily be lost with a poor season and perhaps losing some QBs (Hartman, Carr). And that’s hard to recover from.
Hiring also something Freeman has little experience with. Going another year and having the full cycle to find someone would have been a huge step up for Freeman. Now he’d be doing it way behind the 8-ball.
Gotcha and thanks for spelling it out like that
ND IS BELOW ALABAMA!!!!!!
Stop anchoring that as part of the argument.
I am shocked by this revelation.
Signed, January 6, 2013
We’ve all been excited about Freeman’s recruiting in hopes that he can close the talent gap to the point where ND can, in a good year, compete for an actual NC.
This doesn’t just expose the gap (this is nothing new), it contributes to it. That’s the problem. And anything that widens the gap is bad for ND.
Tommy Rees going to Alabama will make ND worse at recruiting than we are now?
Tommy might take Dante Moore with him oh wait
Also, as for our place in the pecking order, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. IMO it’s a preview of some very tough choices coming down the pike for ND — do we want to play professional college football in a league that is focused on and dominated by the deep south, or do we want to do something else?
I don’t see it as a surprise, so much as another unexpected and unfortunate reminder. Agree for sure on the last point.
To be fair, I don’t see this as “being a stepping stone to the SEC.” Rees rejected that last year. This is being a stepping stone to arguably the greatest college football coach in the history of the sport. There can’t be more than a small handful of coordinators in the country who would reject a move to coach under Saban, right?
Maybe. As I said, Grubb from Washington just reportedly declined them. The chatter from Bama fans seems to be that 2-3 targets have bowed out.
I don’t see it as truly being blessed with the golden opportunity for Rees, it is jarring and unfortunate that this lateral move is a better job than the position at Notre Dame.
No one stays forever, and even a 4th year is pretty rare, so it’s not shocking he’s moving on – especially after the Oregon/Miami flirtations of last year. But that said, that doesn’t mean it’s a positive or glorious development for ND to lose a good coordinator this late in the cycle either.
I guess the “jarring” part is what keeps throwing me off in these comments. Our head coach just left last year for a move to the SEC, Mike Elko left 4 years ago to be DC in the SEC, this is the nature of college football.
Also we had to fight LSU hard for Freeman. This is not new or surprising or jarring or whatever.
Hell, I think Tommy himself said something about the SEC being the top level of college football and that’s why he was seriously considering LSU.
Gotcha. That’s probably a poor word choice, but I think the general reaction of people on the internet was surprise that the Alabama team plane showed up in South Bend yesterday. That’s pretty jarring, even though it’s not breaking news that it’s a better job to be the Alabama OC than ND OC. I can see how that might throw people off, though.
It’s one thing to lose Kelly — he was at the end of the run and ND didn’t fight to keep him at all. Elko asked for multiple raises in a brief time, was probably (rightly) seen as a short-time careerist and there were backup plans. Elko ended up moving laterally, but money was the motivation. That’s not the case here, if Hansen’s reporting is accurate, so this is also different than the other cases to, to me at least.
Not sure there’s a good backup plan for the short term on this. ND is fighting to keep Rees (presumably), it would be a negative if they did watch him go this late in the cycle, when they were hoping/expecting to have him for 2023. That’s it.
I’m curious as to your (and everyone else’s) thoughts on when would be the best time for a coach to leave.
Presumably right before signing day would be bad. Right before the CFP Field was announced last year annoyed everyone initially, but it probably worked out well that Kelly left then.
To me, right now, right after signing day, before Spring Practice has started, feels like it might not be the worst time in the world for a coordinator to jump ship. But as you noted, if even Saban is reaching for his #2 option right now, maybe this isn’t a great time.
Maybe that’s evolving too with the calendar. To your point, it’s probably not great if coordinators leave before the new(ish) timing of the major signing day in December.
That December early signing day really does jack everything up for the timing of so many things.
Naturally though, I think it’s the earlier the better. Like, Hartline is probably a very unique situation/person, but if Rees left like you said around CFP time and ND offers him a promotion to OC before tOSU can act, does that get ND a better coach? Possibly. (Possibly not in this situation, just an example).
Also, for better or worse, I think we’d have to say that Clemson probably already moved and got the “best” or perceived hottest OC hire on the market. So now that’s off the table. Would have been nice for Notre Dame to be in on the big target like that instead of jumping in the game way late.
But I guess the other thing about timing and like you said, it’s just a function of life that timing for stuff like this could always be better or more ideal.
Kevin Wilson was announced as the Tulsa head coach on December 5th. Unless Rees announced he was leaving on December 4th, I don’t think there’s any world in which Hartline ends up at ND.
Missing out on the opportunity for Riley hurts though. I’m not sure if we win a head to head battle for him with Dabo, but I definitely would have liked to have been in that fight.
People keep saying lateral move. It’s true that he’s going from P5 OC to P5 OC, but would you consider a step from Purdue coordinator to ND coordinator to be lateral? Who here was under the illusion that we are on the same level with Alabama? They’ve put together one of the greatest dynasties in the history of any sport, and are lead by one of the greatest coaches and “GM”s in the history of college football. It doesn’t denigrate ND to say that’s a step up.
But that’s the whole point. There would be some schools from which this kind of lateral move would not happen or would not really be an actual step up. Sadly ND is not one of those schools.
Like where? Georgia?
That’s why I emphasized Saban in my reply. Working for him is a high value career opportunity in itself, even if he weren’t coaching at Alabama. So I think the reason he’d be foolish to turn down this job, is all about the chance to work for one of the best ever. Just think about what that gives him in terms of career growth.
And it’s a fast track to a P5 head coaching job.
Tommy and Freeman both chose ND over LSU. And BK leaked that he turned down the Eagles (I’m assuming the NFL team and not the band, but who knows!). So ND isn’t the worst place to be!
Name 4
Georgia, Clemson, OSU
It’s long been expected that Dabo would jump to Bama whenever Saban retires, largely because he went there and all so it is an extra special circumstance, but you have to put Clemson there with the faintest of pencils
Valid. The job title is lateral but the prestige of each position is doubtlessly different. It goes without saying that no one could dream any differently.
Based on Rees being about the third or fourth target in this process though, I think some here may be over-playing or over-estimating that just because Alabama comes a’callin’, doesn’t mean it’s a no-brainer to accept and advance.
Doesn’t saban have a dc opening too? Are we sure he’s not there to talk to golden? Jk, I think it would suck to lose rees, especially this year. think next offseason would be a good time
I mean as long as Hartman (and Carr) can roll with it, not the biggest deal, timing-wise. Rees staying in 2022 and not jumping ship with Kelly kinda seemed like extending his stay one year longer than could be hoped for in the first place, so I guess there’s no perfect time to leave, but at least he’s leaving the situation in a decent spot. For Hartman I’m guessing it’s about already too late for him to reasonably change course at this point.
I wouldn’t be so sure. There are zero restrictions on grad transfers. He could go to Alabama in August scot-free. And, if you look at the Bama QB room, he would be the unquestioned starter.
True, the start of my comment was more on that track. Timing-wise is Hartman walking into Tuscaloosa in August and playing in September? That’s cutting it close is more what I meant- though he has experience, the timing and learning/growing with his receivers wouldn’t be the greatest setup for success. But to your point about grad transferring being open game, who knows if he could get down there quicker if he really wanted to. Definitely something for Freeman to make sure he can smooth out.
If that plays out…AND if Hartman follows to Bama…AND Buchner gets hurt again, then Pyne would be kicking himself for jumping ship so quickly. But of course, that’s a lot of IF’s
Ha, could be. I’m sure Pyne won’t care though, he made the right call and only call when he was told they would seek his replacement after he did go 8-2 as a starter. No good reason for him to stick around for the 2023 season and hope multiple things go his way so that the team has no choice but to turn to him (and then replace him yet again as soon as they have the opportunity).
He might have made the wrong call on ASU. Could easily get beaten out by their new freshman QB.
I thought I’ve seen that the new frosh is a little raw and may not quite be ready to play right away.
But the odds on favorite are that we see Pyne transfer again after the year. Doesn’t he currently still have 3 years (including a covid year) left?
Yes he does, and yes I think that sounds likely. Many were kinda surprised he landed at a P5 in the first place.
*will be. If an ASU team with zero expectations doesn’t play they 5 star freshman future of the program, they’re nuts.
I was pretty heavily into Linkin Park in high school and college (had a bunch of their pre-Hybrid Theory tracks downloaded via Limewire too), and I think some of their stuff holds up alright. I was also a huge fan of their polarizing A Thousand Suns album, incredibly underrated by fans. Literally would play it on a loop while working.
Too little, way too late, but at least Charlie Baker has decided to go down swinging.
I find it really interesting that we may lose Rees to Bama and it’s still being talked about as, at worst, a net break even for ND. That seems nuts to me
IMO it’s a reflection of Bama and ND being in very different places.
Bama is a good fit for Rees right now — he can learn under (and have his worst impulses managed by) Saban, top-flight offensive talent is ready and waiting for him, and he can use his creativity and intelligence to add new wrinkles to keep Bama’s offense fresh.
Rees leaving ND is a good fit for ND right now — we can (hopefully) move on to a more experienced OC who needs less oversight from Freeman, as well as a separate and more experienced QB coach. And we get out of the awkward political situation of Rees being hired directly by Swarbrick and his dad being on staff, with no hard feelings.
Rees has decades to return to ND if he wants to. If you’re going to miss him, don’t worry, I suspect we will see him again.
We are only allowed so many coaches. If the new QB coach is not the OC, we need to get rid of whoever comes in as a position coach.
My main concern is that Saban looked reasonably hard to get to Rees, there were other candidates.
For those who think a more experienced coordinator is out there, who will it be?
I have a feeling we get a new QB coach and they promote McCullough to OC
Sounds like bama made an offer ~2million per year.
Apparently it’s to be the highest paid coordinator, which I read somewhere is currently $2.01mm. Unlikely to be reputable sources say close to $3, which would be a really bold move to offer 150% of the next highest salary.
In Sampson’s article today he wrote that “Notre Dame (is) willing to push toward $2 million per year for the right coordinator”, though that seemed mostly aimed at a new hire.
Either way, this isn’t a huge $ decision or upgrade for Rees. He’d probably get $2m or very close at Notre Dame in 2023.
Interesting move by whoever made the highlight video to include the broadcast’s highlights of the 93 game as a highlight of this game.
Also, lots of 5-6 yard gains on first down screens are considered a “highlight”
The board needs to hear from those who wanted Rees to be replaced, could not recruit and develop top QBs, or felt this was Rees’ defining year before we replaced him. While appreciating the intent of “good for all involved”, I’ll assume that those that have decried the Irish falling in CF’s pecking order or worried about poaching are not those in the Fire Rees crowd. Should ND match any Bama offer and he stays, what is the reaction?
Should he leave and become one of the top paid OCs – if not the highest, what say you about Rees? Are the Irish valuing him to the extent the TIde does? Or undervaluing him?
I’m perfectly fine with Bama taking him. They’ve got a fine tuned machine and I’m sure Tommy could keep it chugging along. I’d be happy to not hear about him and his brilliance any longer either. I’ll happily role the dice on a Marcus Freeman chosen replacement though I do have the slight worry about Hartmann, though idk how his transfer would work at this point.
I think the earliest Hartman could transfer is May.
Losing him would, in my view, be the biggest negative of Rees leaving by a pretty long shot. I don’t think Rees would bring in a star QB only to leave with him immediately thereafter, but maybe I’m being naïve.
He’s gone. Best of luck Tommy. Hope he doesn’t take any QBs with him…
What QBs does ND have that Alabama would want/use?
Hartman maybe Carr for starters
So I see it was announced then a few hours ago that Rees is in fact leaving. Will we have an emergency sat article for possible replacements (asking for a friend)?
Also, any word how he left? That is, did he come back and talk to the players, etc.?
18 Stripes gotta get those Rees clicks in while they still can! What are we gonna talk about when he’s gone? Basketball?
https://18stripes.com/tommy-rees-to-alabama-notre-dames-search-for-a-new-offensive-coordinator/