NFL Analyst Calls Notre Dame’s Tommy Rees a Top-5 NFL QB Developer
On Monday night, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, who just did the color commentary for Notre Dame’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, had some high praise for Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Orlovsky, an ESPN analyst, referred to Rees as one of the five best coaches in terms of preparing quarterbacks for the NFL.
If we’re talking about getting a QB ready to play on the NFL
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) January 3, 2022
100% ND with Rees is top 5
The comment came up after Orlovsky mentioned Notre Dame as a program Caleb Williams should consider as a transfer destination if he has NFL aspirations. He also mentioned Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, and USC. Now before anyone gets excited about the Notre Dame – Williams connection, this was just purely Orlovsky’s opinion on which programs would best prepare the Oklahoma quarterback who entered the transfer portal on Monday for the NFL.
Orlovsky spoke very highly of Tommy Rees during Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, both in terms of his playcalling and development skills. He also got a first-hand look at Rees’s work with Jack Coan, who set the Fiesta Bowl record for yards passing with 509.
Rees getting referred to with such praise by an NFL analyst who is on ESPN every day and has over 350,000 followers on Twitter can only help Notre Dame’s efforts of attracting a top-tier quarterback to South Bend, whether it’s a transfer like Williams or a 5-star recruit like Dante Moore.
For Notre Dame to start winning NY6 games and challenging for a national championship, the Irish need to begin regularly landing elite quarterbacks, so every little bit helps.
Orlovsky is one of the rising stars in the analyst ranks at ESPN and has been doing color commentary for bowl games the last few years. One of the first games he ever called was the 2019 Camping World Bowl – the first game Tommy Rees called plays for Notre Dame before being named offensive coordinator shortly after.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
The same Dan Orlovsky who ran out the back of his own end zone?
I thought the guy did a very good job providing insghtful color for the game.
But this air-filling moment of arm-waving —- his “Top 5 ” assessment —-just gets filed with the “ND is a solid Top 10 team” mantra :
It doesn’t sound that outlandish, but in fact can’t withstand any amount of objective analysis or scrutiny.