Tommy Rees’ football journey has been anything but ordinary-and at just 33 years old, he’s already carved out a coaching résumé that reads like someone twice his age. Now the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator, Rees is once again in the spotlight, this time for his growing appeal as a head coaching candidate at the college level.
Rees’ path to this point is rooted in a playing career that had its share of highs and hard lessons. A three-star recruit out of high school, he signed with Notre Dame and quickly found himself under center as a freshman in 2010.
By 2011, he looked poised to take the reins long-term, but a benching the following season set him back. Still, he rebounded in a big way as a senior, throwing for over 3,200 yards and 27 touchdowns-a strong finish to a rollercoaster college career.
His NFL playing days were brief-just a week on Washington’s roster before the door closed on that chapter. But if the playing field didn’t offer a long-term home, the sidelines certainly did.
Rees wasted no time diving into coaching. He spent a year at Northwestern, then joined the San Diego Chargers for a season before returning to Notre Dame, where he truly began to make his mark. Over six seasons in South Bend, he worked his way up from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, helping shape the Irish offense with a steady hand and sharp football mind.
His next stop? Tuscaloosa.
Rees took over as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama, a role that comes with sky-high expectations and relentless pressure. Even one year in that crucible added significant weight to his coaching credentials.
In 2024, the Browns brought him into the NFL coaching ranks as their tight ends coach. Just one season later, he was promoted to offensive coordinator-a move that says a lot about how quickly he earned trust inside the building. He wasn’t just the first coach interviewed for the OC job-he was the one they handed it to.
But Cleveland isn’t the only place keeping tabs on Rees. This past offseason, he was reportedly the runner-up to Bill Belichick for the head coaching job at North Carolina. That wasn’t the only college program sniffing around, either-UCLA had eyes on him as well.
Now, Rees has reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job at Penn State. The timing isn’t ideal-college coaching searches often heat up while the NFL season is still in full swing-but it’s the reality for a coach whose name is rising fast. While he's helping guide the Browns through the stretch run of the 2025 season, he’s also fielding interest from one of the top programs in the Big Ten.
It’s clear that Rees is on a trajectory that’s hard to ignore. Whether his next step is leading a college program or eventually taking the reins of an NFL team, the buzz around him is only getting louder. For now, he remains focused on Cleveland-but it’s only a matter of time before Tommy Rees is calling the shots as a head coach.