Tommy Rees Encouraged By His Quarterbacks Growth And Strong Bond
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees knows what he wants out of his quarterbacks, and what he doesn't. If there’s one thing Rees is not looking for from the next Notre Dame quarterback, it’s a “gunslinger”.
“I don’t ever use that term,” Rees said after Saturday’s second practice of fall training camp.
Whether it’s Tyler Buchner or Drew Pyne who ultimately wins the job, the third year Fighting Irish offensive coordinator has something a little more structured in mind for the next Irish signal-caller.
“We want guys that know when to make the right decisions,” Rees explained. “That comes in different shapes and sizes. That comes in different situations, but we want guys that know what the right decision is and when that moment presents itself.”
This is the second straight year Rees has helped oversee a quarterback derby. It was between Pyne and Jack Coan last year. With Coan departed, it’s redshirt sophomore Pyne against true sophomore Buchner, and Rees is in charge of being the impartial judge and jury to determine the outcome.
“I have a deep amount of care for all the guys in the room and it’s part of my job to make sure that they each have an opportunity to showcase what they can do and put our offense in a good spot (and) put our team in a good spot,” Rees said of the process.
“I look at it strictly from a coaching perspective, right? And it’s my job to continue to have a strong relationship with them and build trust and build camaraderie within the group so that they know when decisions are made, it’s with the group in mind," continued the Irish offensive coordinator. "And when you have those type of relationships, usually when hard decisions come, it makes it a little bit easier. But our focus right now is to operate the offense and be the best quarterbacks we can be. Nothing more.”
Rees says the quarterback room, which also includes sophomore Ron Powlus III and freshman Steve Angeli, has a “healthy rapport”. It’s reminiscent of his early days in the same situation as a freshman quarterback at Notre Dame, when Dayne Crist took him under his wing.
“Dayne Crist put his arm around me,” Rees recalled. “He was tremendous as a young quarterback, as a mentor (and) as a friend. We used to joke, like he was an older brother to me when I was here. I was supported by guys all around me that really were good.
“When I had the opportunity with Everett (Golson) I wanted to give back the same way that the older guys did for me. That’s just something that I’ve always believed in," Rees continued. "As much as we can make our group a group and understand that we’re gonna have shared success on the field, that’s what’s always stressed in our meetings.”
Buchner has taken the lion’s share of the first team reps behind center when the media has been present at practice. He played 10 games to Pyne’s two last year, but Pyne’s game duration was longer in his two outings off the bench versus Wisconsin and Cincinnati than most of Buchner’s appearances.
Buchner earned the “running quarterback” label after tallying 336 yards last season, the second-most on the team to Kyren Williams’ 1,002, but Rees has seen plenty of growth from Buchner’s freshman to sophomore season.
“I think his ability to just kind of take a step back and run the show,” Rees noted. “There’s a certain calmness and confidence that quarterbacks have, and Tyler has that innately, but I think his mental growth of knowing what we’re doing and trying to do (and) why we’re trying to do it – all of those things, you’re seeing on the field.
“Like when he steps foot out there, there’s a little bit of presence there. (It’s like) when he’s out there, this guy, he gives us a chance, because you believe in his confidence and the way he’s presenting himself So, that’s important.”
Rees noted that intangible quality has to turn into production on the field, just like Pyne’s key attribute, preparation, has to be evidenced between the lines.
“He's hungry right now,” Rees said of Pyne. “I mean, he’s extremely hungry. He’s competing at a high level. He’s preparing at an extremely high level. He’s done more film study than he’s probably ever done before.
“He came back ready to go for camp," He continued. "I wouldn’t say it’s a different Drew, because he’s as committed as anybody we have, but his preparation – he's talking about it. You can tell the way he’s spitting stuff back, he’s on it.”
Pyne picked-up his penchant for film study last year when he picked it up from Coan. Rees said Pyne has “answered the bell” with everything he was tasked with after his spring practice exit interview.
Just two days into practice, there are no hints that either Rees or head coach Marcus Freeman are in a hurry to name a starter, even though Freeman said after Friday’s first practice that they’ll name the the starting quarterback “as soon as we can”.
But he also said he loves the competition aspect of Buchner and Pyne vying for the starting nod. Rees is in the same boat, just wanting to see how good each of his signal-callers can become.
“We have a very special group of guys, as I’m sure you guys have learned, but they do a great job of staying together and supporting one another,” Rees said. “They do everything together, watch film, hang out.”
“We’ve had a healthy rapport and I expect that to continue.”
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