Tommy Rees is back in the coaching rumor mill, and this time the opening is at NC State.
On Sunday morning, On3 insider Pete Nakos tied the former Alabama offensive coordinator to the Wolfpack’s vacant head coaching job. Rees, now the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, has only spent one season in Tuscaloosa, but that stint is enough to keep his name in the mix for a college opening.
Rees played quarterback at Notre Dame from 2010-13 and then served as an assistant there from 2017-22 before taking over Alabama’s offense in 2023, Nick Saban’s final season in charge. That Crimson Tide team finished two wins shy of a national championship with Rees calling plays, and now he’s being linked to a possible jump back to the college ranks.
He is currently in his first year as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator after moving on to the NFL following that lone season at Alabama. Before Atlanta, Rees spent the previous two years with the Cleveland Browns, including serving as the Browns’ OC in 2025.
In his look at candidates who could take over for Dave Doeren, Nakos pointed to Rees and wrote:
The former Notre Dame quarterback has been an offensive coordinator in the NFL in recent years but has shown interest in returning to college, sources have said. He was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Alabama before making the move to the NFL, and has interviewed for a handful of college jobs in recent years.
NC State moved on from Doeren on Saturday after a 3-4 start and a 1-3 mark in the ACC. The 54-year-old had been in charge since 2013, finishing his run in Raleigh with a 98-73 record and a 52-57 mark in conference play.
So while the Wolfpack search gets underway, Rees has emerged as a name to watch - a familiar college offensive mind now being connected to a return to the college game.
Meanwhile, Alabama is still working to build enough wins to get back to the College Football Playoff.
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