
It is no secret that with Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Bryce Young, the Alabama Crimson Tide got away from running the ball. You can afford to get away from the run when you have NFL quarterbacks who consistently make good reads. However, Bryce Young is gone, and Nick Saban is getting back to his roots with Tommy Rees: running the damn ball.
Meet Tommy Rees:
For those who don’t know much about college football but know a lot about the NFL, remember Ian Book? Yeah, well Tommy Rees brought that guy to the college football playoffs. Why is Rees so interesting? Well, he is a career QB and QB coach whose play-calling specialty is running the rock. His run schemes are some of the best in the country.
Saban brought in a recruiting class that features the number 1 offensive lineman in the country and the number 2 running back. With this class and the current team, Rees can change the game for Alabama.
The Tommy Rees Offense:
If you can’t tell by the title and introduction, Tommy Rees likes to “Run the Damn Ball” — something it feels like Alabama hasn’t done in forever. The Alabama backfield is loaded this year, and depending on who the quarterback is, Alabama could have the most dominant run game in all of college football.
Jalen Milroe, who was Bryce Young’s backup all year, is probably the best-rushing quarterback in college football. However, there are questions about him as a thrower. The other option is Ty Simpson, Alabama’s younger 5-star QB. He is a much more pure thrower of the football. Simpson isn’t the runner that Milroe is, but he can get on his horse.
Tommy Rees had just brought QB Sam Hartman over from Wake Forrest to Notre Dame. Simpson is definitely more in that style of quarterback. I think Rees will hold a legit QB competition at Alabama this spring.
Who Can Rees Unlock?
I personally think the big one is Justice Haynes. The freshman running back came in for bowl practices, and Will Anderson spoke highly of him. Haynes should dominate quickly in a very downhill, creative running offense.
I would really like to see something out of tight ends this year. Alabama got basically 500 yards from tight ends in total. They added C.J. Dippre and Ty Lockwood. The Maryland transfer, Dippre, is going to HAVE to be Rees’ guy.
If you have watched any Notre Dame, you know they love tight ends. Rees definitely shows it.
Will Tommy Rees Succeed?
Personally, I think so. It might take a year for him to be the best version of his offense. However, Rees will be a breath of fresh air for Alabama fans. So Bama fans… please cut this dude some slack and be ready for big changes on offense.