Notre Dame true freshman QB Tommy Rees is set to lead the Irish this Saturday against top ranked Utah
It wasn’t too long when Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees was 3rd on the depth chart behind Dayne Crist and Nate Montana. Now, the 18 year-old freshman is set to make his grand starting debut for the most storied football program in the nation. Rees, a true freshman who left high school early to enroll at Notre Dame, will be the starting QB as the Irish and 81,000 fans take on #14 Utah this Saturday afternoon.
With Dayne Crist out for the season suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and Nate Montana not living up to his father’s legacy, head coach Brian Kelly has no choice but to turn to true freshman phenom Tommy Rees.
When Rees was a prep star at Lake Forest High (Illinois) he committed to then head coach Charlie Weis and came to South Bend as an early enrollee. Despite Weis’ departure, Rees showed his loyalty by remaining in South Bend and studying Kelly’s spread offense.
It is clear Rees is a true student of the game and Domers have already seen a glimpse of things to come as Rees showed promise completing 33 of 54 passes for 334 yards and 4 TDs against Tulsa. Though he made freshman mistakes, including a costly interception in the end zone during the final seconds that sealed Tulsa’s 28-27 win, he played admirably under the circumstances.
The Irish have pinned themselves in a corner with a 4-5 record and needing two wins to become bowl eligible. Getting to 6 wins will be a monumental task with Utah, Army, and USC remaining on the schedule. If the Irish hope to see post-season action, Rees will have to play flawless football in the coming weeks.
