Tommy Rees was a solid offensive coordinator for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and he’s going to be hard to replace. Not only has he been with the program as quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator since 2017, but he also was a four-year starting quarterback for Notre Dame from 2010-2014.
That type of organizational presence is invaluable for a young head coach like Marcus Freeman (37 years old), but ESPN is reporting that the Irish are locking in on a candidate to replace Rees.
The likely replacement for Rees, per reports, is veteran offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig from Utah.
Ludwig has been the offensive coordinator for the Utes since 2019. This was his second stint with the Utes, though. He was also the offensive coordinator for Utah from 2005 to 2008, helping the Utes to a perfect 13-0 record in 2008 with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Experience is the name of the game for Ludwig and per ESPN, it’s a major reason why Notre Dame favors him. A veteran coordinator would be great for Notre Dame because Freeman is entering just his second season as a head coach.
Ludwig has been a college coach since 1987-88. when he coached receivers for Portland State. He was the offensive coordinator at Oregon from 2002-2004, the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin in 2013 and 2014 and the offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt from 2015 to 2018 before rejoining the Utes.
His offense last season was among the top 20 in the country, averaging 466.9 yards per game and No. 11 in points per game with 38.6.
