Browns OC Tommy Rees makes stance on growing head coach interest

Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has been a hot candidate for seemingly every college football opening.

Prior to Penn State hiring Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, the Nittany Lions also met with Rees about their head coach opening. He was expected to be the frontrunner for the UCLA head coach opening as well, but they opted for another option.

Rees is flattered by the interest, but reiterated to reporters on Thursday that he’s committed to improving Cleveland’s offense right now.

“Some of those things are flattering and listen as a competitor but for me, my focus is really on how do we score enough points to go win a game?” Rees said. “Put our young players, put our quarterback, put our offense in a great position to have success… that’s really where my focus has been.”

Rees has been calling the plays for the Browns ever since head coach Kevin Stefanski handed off the duties after Cleveland’s bye week. While the offense has marginally improved with Rees on the headset, there is still plenty of room for consistent growth.

According to reports, any college or NFL organization that reaches out to former Alabama head coach Nick Saban about coming out of retirement, the legendary college football coach tells them to hire Rees.

Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported that in the midst of all the college interest surrounding Rees, the Browns want to prioritize keeping him around their organization moving into 2026.

Certainly, there’s pressure on the Browns offense over these next four weeks. Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will start the remainder of games for the Browns. Sanders has continued to progress with each start he’s made with Rees calling the plays.

Rees arrived in Cleveland last season as the new passing game coordinator and tight end coach for the Browns after offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was fired. But upon the Browns firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Rees was promoted.

The former Notre Dame quarterback had previously worked as an offensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish as well as the Alabama Crimson Tide.

With the college football cycle cooling off, Rees sounds committed to the Browns, who want him to remain around the organization. There could be additional college football openings that reach out to Rees, including the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten who just fired Sherrone Moore on Wednesday.

Even if Stefanski is let go at the end of the season, it seems like the Browns will continue to prioritize their 33-year-old playcaller as a key figure in the organization moving forward.