Rising star Tommy Rees pursued a premier college gig, but hopes to remain with the Cleveland Browns, according to a new report
Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is a hot commodity these days. According to a report from the NFL Network, Rees, 33, took an interview with the Penn State Nittany Lions for their previously vacant head coaching job.
Ultimately, Penn State hired Iowa State head coach, and Ohio native Matt Campbell for the job, with Rees remaining with the Browns. The buzz around his name won't be dissipating anytime soon though, which will leave Cleveland likely fighting to retain the rising star.
It's nothing unexpected. Just last year, Rees interviewed for the University of North Carolina head coaching job and was a finalist for the position before the Tarheels settled on Bill Belichick as their head man.
Rees is expected continue to field plenty of calls to return to the college ranks, but according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, prefers to remain with the Browns for now. Four weeks back, Rees actually took over as the Browns primary play-caller, with head coach Kevin Stefanski looking to spark something from the team's stagnate offense.
There's been some notable improvements, with Cleveland scoring 20-plus points in three of the four games since Rees took over play-calling responsibilities. It's the first time in his coaching tenure that he's called plays at the NFL level.
He's no stranger to calling the offensive shots, though, having served as an OC at multiple stops in the college ranks before coming to Cleveland. That includes a stint at his Alma Mater, Notre Dame, where he was a QB coach from 2017-2019 under Brian Kelly, before having offensive coordinator added to his title in 2020.
After three seasons overseeing the Fighting Irish offense, he joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama in 2023, for Saban's final season with the program. Behind the scenes, Saban continues to be a vocal supporter of Rees.
Upon Saban retiring, Rees made the leap back to the NFL, joining Stefanski's staff in Cleveland in 2024 as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach. After the team fired OC Ken Dorsey this past offseason, Rees became an obvious internal option for the role and wound up getting the job after the team conducted several interviews with other established NFL coaches.