Family reunion?: Tommy Rees follows Brian Kelly to SEC West, but not to LSU

Former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is finally joining LSU head coach Brian Kelly over in the SEC West, but with the Alabama Crimson Tide instead of the Bayou Bengals.

In a most glorious Friday afternoon news dump of sorts, Tommy Rees is leaving Notre Dame to become the new offensive coordinator at Alabama.

Rees had been working at his alma mater since 2017. While he had been promoted to offensive coordinator under Brian Kelly in 2020, he did not follow his former college head coach to LSU last season. Rees stayed in South Bend to serve as Marcus Freeman’s first offensive coordinator, but Nick Saban came calling this offseason, aight. He will replace Bill O’Brien after two so-so seasons.

As if this SEC West football rivalry between Alabama and LSU need any more spice, hold my corn!

Nick Saban hires Tommy Rees away from Notre Dame to be offensive coordinator

While Saban still has to hire a new defensive coordinator as well to replace Pete Golding, going with Rees is a bold choice to say the least. Rees had an up-and-down tenure as the Irish’s offensive coordinator over the last three years. Although it is a fantastic career move to link up with Saban, Alabama is a pressure cooker. It is a program that will chew you up and spit you out.

The good news for Rees is he will be able to make his mark on the coordinator position right away. With Bryce Young having turned pro, he does not face the same challenges that his predecessor O’Brien did. It will be a battle between Jalen Milroe and presumably Ty Simpson for the Crimson Tide quarterbacking job. This change of guard gives Simpson an even better shot at winning it.

Overall, Alabama should be fine with Rees and he will have great success there. Look no further than all of the great coordinators before him. Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, Brian Daboll, Lane Kiffin and Jim McElwain have all gone on to achieve great things after leaving Saban. O’Brien is now back in the NFL with the New England Patriots where he will work with Alabama’s Mac Jones.

Ultimately, we need to have faith that Saban made the right decision by going with a younger, up-and-coming offensive coordinator. Rees may be able to keep things fresh and relate to high school recruits over someone who is 25 years older than him. It will take a period of adjustment for him going from national independent Notre Dame to the SEC West, but he has Alabama players now…

A family reunion of sorts will be happening when Kelly and Rees meet again over in Tuscaloosa.

For more College Football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.