Notre Dame Football: Tommy Rees Has Finally Arrived

A mere three months ago, Notre Dame fans, as well as the media, were caught up in the whirlwind of something the program hadn't seen since the summer of 2007: a quarterback battle.

Head coach Brian Kelly made it clear that Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees would be battling for that coveted starting spot.

There was much debate and argument over who the right choice was, and Kelly eventually went with Crist on the basis that he gave the team its best chance to win.

However, that claim turned out to be false.

While the first-half struggles experienced by the offense against South Florida can't solely be put on Crist, the team simply didn't gel while he was calling the shots.

Insert Rees, the 19-year-old who guided the Irish to four consecutive victories last season after Crist went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Don't let Rees' age fool you, though. He's wise beyond his years.

Rees' father, Bill, has been a football lifer, spending the majority of his career as an assistant coach at Northwestern and UCLA. Because of that, Tommy has been around major college football for the duration of his life.

That experience shows itself in his demeanor on the field. Rees seemingly has ice water flowing through his veins while leading the offense.

Take, for instance, Notre Dame's final drive at Michigan earlier this season.

With the Irish trailing 28-24 and roughly a minute remaining in regulation, Rees drove the offense 61 yards for a touchdown, putting his team ahead 31-28. Worth noting is the fact the young quarterback accomplished that feat in front of 114,000 rabid fans under the lights at the Big House.

If that isn't the sign of a winner, I don't know what is.

The numbers also back up the fact that Rees is a winner. He has a record of 8-1 as Notre Dame's starting quarterback. If not for the implosion of the defense at Michigan in the final 30 seconds, that record would be 9-0.

Appreciate him while you can because Rees won't be in South Bend forever.