BEREA, Ohio — Michigan has curiosity in Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees for its head coach emptiness, a league supply tells cleveland.com.
It stays to be seen when Michigan will begin interviewing within the wake of firing Sherrone Moore on Wednesday.
However Rees would seemingly take the interview contemplating he talked to Penn State about its head coach emptiness final week earlier than it went with Matt Campbell.
Requested Thursday throughout his weekly media availability about interviewing with Penn State and different potential alternatives, Rees made it clear his No. 1 precedence helps the Browns win the ultimate 4 video games of this season, and serving to Shedeur Sanders and the opposite younger gamers get ready to play.
“I’m actually centered on attempting to play good offensive soccer, get a younger quarterback able to play, assist our gamers,” he stated. “Look, a few of these issues are flattering and also you pay attention as a competitor. However for me, my focus is actually, how can we go rating sufficient factors to win a recreation? How can we put our younger gamers, put our quarterback, put our offense in the proper place to have success? Find out how to lead our employees? That’s actually the place my focus is true now.”
The previous offensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Alabama, Rees was requested particularly if he’d have curiosity within the Michigan job.
“I’m going to only hold my focus right here proper now,” he stated.
Employed as Browns tight ends coach in 2024, Rees was promoted to offensive coordinator this season, and took over play-calling from Kevin Stefanski in Week 10 towards the Jets.
Final yr, Rees was in line for the North Carolina job earlier than it went to Invoice Belichick, and is very considered in faculty and NFL teaching circles. He additionally has a powerful advocate in his former Alabama boss, Nick Saban, who’s touted him as one of many brightest offensive minds he’s labored with.
As reported by cleveland.com final week, the Browns suppose very extremely of Rees, and can make each effort to maintain him.
“Tommy Rees has been excellent,” Browns receivers coach Chad O’Shea stated final week. “I’ve been lucky to be round a variety of good coaches, however Tommy is simply very spectacular as an offensive coordinator. He’s very clever, he works very nicely with the employees, he’s a fantastic communicator. And the factor he does greatest is he’s an incredible chief.
“Tommy has accomplished only a nice job of offering management to our offense when it at all times hasn’t been good. I believe that the best trait of a frontrunner is how one can lead when occasions are powerful, and he’s simply accomplished an impressive job being in entrance of the blokes each day of offering management. And I do know I’ve actually loved working with him, and he’s simply accomplished a extremely good job with our offense.”
Browns offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren was equally effusive in his reward of Rees final month.
“Tommy is – he’ll in all probability be (mad) I say this – however he’s a soccer savant,“ Bloomgren stated. ”Like, I used to be in my third yr teaching within the NFL after I was his age and he’s such an previous soul with a lot soccer information. The best way that he processes data on this recreation, the best way he thinks this recreation is so subsequent stage, ? Like, I’m amazed by him every day. So, I’ve loved my working relationship with him since February and I’ve discovered a ton of soccer from Tommy.”
Bloomgren stated Rees’ mastery of the complete offense is what units him aside.
“There are such a lot of offensive coordinators within the Nationwide Soccer League that take into consideration the go recreation and the go recreation solely,” he stated. “His skill to actually course of safety and any potential points, his skill to see issues from a run blocking, a leverage standpoint, the creativity he has within the recreation plan, these are the issues that come up assembly to assembly.
“And , like, like all people – I imply, there’s a variety of methods to get to Chicago, proper? And a variety of them work. So, we’ve acquired completely different histories, and so it’s nice to speak by these variations and land on the one which’s proper for the (Cleveland) Browns proper now.”
If the Browns may help it, Rees will likely be right here for the foreseeable future.
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