When the news broke that Brian Kelly was leaving Notre Dame to become the head coach at LSU, one of the first things people wondered was whether or not he’d take offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman with him. Kelly even said he was interested in doing so if it worked out.
In the end, Freeman was elevated to become the new head coach at Notre Dame and Rees remained as the offensive coordinator.
But how close did Rees come to following Kelly to LSU to be the OC there? By his own admission, pretty darn close. Rees stopped by The Ryen Russillo Podcast this week to talk about the LSU opportunity and why he decided to stay at Notre Dame.
“Deep down, I always wanted to stay,” Rees said. “but I didn’t know if that was going to be an opportunity or not.”
Rees admitted that when it first happened, his initial thought was to leave for the Tigers.
“I know what I’m getting with Coach Kelly,” Rees said. “I know what LSU is. That was the safer of the two decisions. I knew what I was getting into. Staying was a little more unknown. I know Notre Dame and know the players, but this is a new regime.”
Rees even admitted to browsing for Baton Rogue homes on Zillow during the 48-hour window between Kelly’s departure and the Freeman announcement. Until he knew his position at Notre Dame was secure, he assumed he’d be looking to move south.
“Initially, when you have the conversation, it’s like, ‘Hell yeah, this is exciting as heck,’” Rees said. “It’s an opportunity to go coach at LSU, at a new opportunity, in the SEC when you’re playing against [Nick] Saban, [Texas] A&M and recruiting against those guys. As a competitor, it’s exciting as hell. That’s what you do this for. And you don’t know if you have a job. This is the only job I have. I’m not guaranteed anything [at Notre Dame].
“There was one moment after I worked out, I took a shower and got out of the shower and I was pissed. I thought I was gone. There was a half-hour stretch where I was like, ‘Screw this.’ I was pissed about a couple things and just was like, ‘I think I’m going to leave.’ Then I calmed myself down, had another conversation, and then information started coming in. Then I realized this is where I want to be.”
Ultimately, Rees said that the stars had to align for him to stay in South Bend and that the hiring of Freeman was what made that happen.
“There were very few opportunities at Notre Dame that were going to keep me there,” Rees said. “The head coach had to be somebody I knew and trusted, or else I’m not staying. I didn’t want to be part of an arranged marriage. Those don’t often work out…There was a relationship between me and Marcus.”
“The decision ultimately became, ‘How much do you believe in this guy? You’re putting your trust in him as a head coach. I couldn’t be more full steam ahead with him. First of all, he’s a great person. That’s the first thing I tried to find – morally, is he in the right place? Is he someone you can trust? Without a doubt, that’s a yes.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe without a doubt, he’s the right guy for the job.”
It’s very rare you see a college football coach be this forthcoming and honest about their career choices. In the days of coaches bemoaning player “free agency” while jumping from job to job without much concern, it’s refreshing to know coaches are human beings too, doing their best as the winds of change swirl around them.
[The Ryen Russillo Podcast, via Blue And Gold]
