Tommy Rees made significant strides as a recruiter during his time at Notre Dame. After he was hired as a quarterbacks graduate assistant in 2017, it took some time for Rees to find his footing as a recruiter. He had the benefit of inheriting the commitment of four-star quarterback Phil Jurkovec in 2018 class and landed a verbal commitment from four-star quarterback Cade McNamara in the 2019 class that didn’t stick.
Soon after McNamara ditched the Irish, Rees worked ahead to line up a commitment from four-star quarterback Drew Pyne in the 2020 class. He then settled on three-star quarterback Brendon Clark in the 2019 class.
In those first three cycles as a quarterbacks coach, Rees also played a small role in Notre Dame adding commitments from three-star athlete Kendall Abdur-Rahman in the 2019 class and five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson in the 2020 class.
Undoubtedly, Rees’ biggest recruiting victory as a quarterbacks coach came with four-star quarterback Tyler Buchner the 2021 class. Rees and offensive coordinator Chip Long made the decision to prioritize Buchner early and landed his commitment nearly two years before he could sign with the Irish. Buchner committed to Notre Dame while having offers from Alabama, Georgia, USC, Oregon, Michigan and others. Rees replaced Long before Buchner arrived at Notre Dame.
The 2021 cycle included the curious decision to offer three-star quarterback Ron Powlus III a scholarship as a late addition.
Rees took a step back in quarterback recruiting in signing three-star recruit Steve Angeli, who was one of the first two quarterbacks to receive an Irish offer in the 2022. Notre Dame turned its attention to four-star recruit Ty Simpson only to lose out to Alabama. Four-star quarterback Drew Allar may have ended up at Notre Dame if the Irish targeted him sooner, but it became clear he was bound for Penn State soon after ND offered him. Then Notre Dame circled back for Angeli’s commitment.
The 2023 quarterback cycle became a bit of a mess when Notre Dame prioritized five-star quarterback Dante Moore and felt confident it would land him. Other targets Jackson Arnold and Christopher Vizzina lined up commitments to Oklahoma and Clemson, respectively, while the Irish waited for Moore to officially commit. He never did.
Rees eventually revived a pretty hopeless quarterback situation by flipping four-star quarterback Kenny Minchey from Pittsburgh. If Buchner, Angeli and/or Minchey don’t pan out for Notre Dame, Rees may end up with a better track record of recruiting transfer quarterbacks — Jack Coan and Sam Hartman — than high school quarterbacks at Notre Dame.
Rees' best quarterback commitment could very well end up being 2024 four-star quarterback CJ Carr. Maybe Notre Dame's future offensive coordinator(s)/quarterback coach(es) will get more out of him than Long and Rees did with the highly recruited Jurkovec.
Notre Dame’s offensive recruiting gradually improved in the three full cycles with Rees as coordinator. The Irish eliminated the need to reach for many three-star recruits.
The 13 offensive signees in the 2021 class included one five-star recruit, seven four-star recruits and six three-star recruits. The 11 signees in the 2022 class included nine four-star recruits and two three-star recruits. The 12 signees in the 2023 class included 11 four-star recruits and one three-star recruits.
Rees’ biggest impact recruiting non-quarterbacks probably came in the 2022 class. He pushed for Notre Dame to add Eli Raridon to the class when he was rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 18 tight end in the class. Raridon finished the cycle as a four-star recruit and the No. 5 tight end.
Rees also helped Notre Dame make a final push for four-star offensive lineman Billy Schrauth after head coach Brian Kelly’s departure and with offensive line coach Jeff Quinn’s future under head coach Marcus Freeman in doubt. Schrauth became Notre Dame’s highest-ranked offensive signee in the 2022 class at No. 87 overall.
Notre Dame started hot in 2024 offensive recruiting with commitments from Carr, four-star tight end Jack Larsen, four-star wide receiver Cam Williams, four-star offensive lineman Peter Jones and four-star running back Aneyas Williams. Of course, Rees didn't cross the finish line in signing these recruits. Early indications are that Notre Dame isn't in jeopardy of losing their commitments.
Soon after McNamara ditched the Irish, Rees worked ahead to line up a commitment from four-star quarterback Drew Pyne in the 2020 class. He then settled on three-star quarterback Brendon Clark in the 2019 class.
In those first three cycles as a quarterbacks coach, Rees also played a small role in Notre Dame adding commitments from three-star athlete Kendall Abdur-Rahman in the 2019 class and five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson in the 2020 class.
Undoubtedly, Rees’ biggest recruiting victory as a quarterbacks coach came with four-star quarterback Tyler Buchner the 2021 class. Rees and offensive coordinator Chip Long made the decision to prioritize Buchner early and landed his commitment nearly two years before he could sign with the Irish. Buchner committed to Notre Dame while having offers from Alabama, Georgia, USC, Oregon, Michigan and others. Rees replaced Long before Buchner arrived at Notre Dame.
The 2021 cycle included the curious decision to offer three-star quarterback Ron Powlus III a scholarship as a late addition.
Rees took a step back in quarterback recruiting in signing three-star recruit Steve Angeli, who was one of the first two quarterbacks to receive an Irish offer in the 2022. Notre Dame turned its attention to four-star recruit Ty Simpson only to lose out to Alabama. Four-star quarterback Drew Allar may have ended up at Notre Dame if the Irish targeted him sooner, but it became clear he was bound for Penn State soon after ND offered him. Then Notre Dame circled back for Angeli’s commitment.
The 2023 quarterback cycle became a bit of a mess when Notre Dame prioritized five-star quarterback Dante Moore and felt confident it would land him. Other targets Jackson Arnold and Christopher Vizzina lined up commitments to Oklahoma and Clemson, respectively, while the Irish waited for Moore to officially commit. He never did.
Rees eventually revived a pretty hopeless quarterback situation by flipping four-star quarterback Kenny Minchey from Pittsburgh. If Buchner, Angeli and/or Minchey don’t pan out for Notre Dame, Rees may end up with a better track record of recruiting transfer quarterbacks — Jack Coan and Sam Hartman — than high school quarterbacks at Notre Dame.
Rees' best quarterback commitment could very well end up being 2024 four-star quarterback CJ Carr. Maybe Notre Dame's future offensive coordinator(s)/quarterback coach(es) will get more out of him than Long and Rees did with the highly recruited Jurkovec.
Notre Dame’s offensive recruiting gradually improved in the three full cycles with Rees as coordinator. The Irish eliminated the need to reach for many three-star recruits.
The 13 offensive signees in the 2021 class included one five-star recruit, seven four-star recruits and six three-star recruits. The 11 signees in the 2022 class included nine four-star recruits and two three-star recruits. The 12 signees in the 2023 class included 11 four-star recruits and one three-star recruits.
Rees’ biggest impact recruiting non-quarterbacks probably came in the 2022 class. He pushed for Notre Dame to add Eli Raridon to the class when he was rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 18 tight end in the class. Raridon finished the cycle as a four-star recruit and the No. 5 tight end.
Rees also helped Notre Dame make a final push for four-star offensive lineman Billy Schrauth after head coach Brian Kelly’s departure and with offensive line coach Jeff Quinn’s future under head coach Marcus Freeman in doubt. Schrauth became Notre Dame’s highest-ranked offensive signee in the 2022 class at No. 87 overall.
Notre Dame started hot in 2024 offensive recruiting with commitments from Carr, four-star tight end Jack Larsen, four-star wide receiver Cam Williams, four-star offensive lineman Peter Jones and four-star running back Aneyas Williams. Of course, Rees didn't cross the finish line in signing these recruits. Early indications are that Notre Dame isn't in jeopardy of losing their commitments.
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