Two kinds of pressure exists in college football: the pressure of playing against Alabama and pressure of coaching for Alabama.
Nick Saban hired an offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in February that has done both.
RELATED: Alabama OC Tommy Rees talks Tide offensive scheme for this season
Tommy Rees, 31, has never been afraid to take on big moments. He was a quarterback at Notre Dame in the 2012 season when the Fighting Irish battled the Tide for a BCS National Championship. Rees watched his team suffer an embarrassing loss, but he learned the intensity, discipline, and details that go into facing a Saban-coached team. He would face Saban again in the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup at the Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) in 2020 as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator. The Irish took a 17-31 loss to Alabama, but Rees filed that in the back of his mind to draw more knowledge.
He watched offensive masterminds — including Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian — add wrinkles to the Tide’s offense and accomplished national championships. Rees has a chance to put his name on the list and players are ready for it.
Jermaine Burton, a senior wide receiver, told reporters Thursday the offense is ‘100 percent’ behind Rees.
RELATED: Tommy Rees wants to develop a good QB room for Alabama, explains why he brought in Tyler Buchner
“Tommy brings a lot to the room,” Burton said. “His energy, he’s a guy we can all trust and lean on as a coach and maturing into grown men. He is someone we look up to and trust with this offense. When he talks, you want to listen. He brings that energy and attitude to us, so we are going to do whatever we can to be behind him.”
Rees took a couple of Notre Dame teams to CFP appearances, despite not having a lot of talent. He has all the star power at Alabama to do something special. We’ll see how he has the offense looking in Saturday’s scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
