Reports: Saban talks with Notre Dame’s Rees about OC job

Associated PressFeb 2, 2023, 3:07 PM EST

John Mersits/USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees spoke with Alabama coach Nick Saban about filling a vacancy on the Crimson Tide’s coaching staff and was scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity because Saban and Alabama were not making details about their search for a replacement for offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien public.

O’Brien spent the last two seasons directing the Crimson’s Tide offense and coaching quarterbacks. The former Houston Texans head coach left last month to join Patriots coach Bill Belichick in New England as offensive coordinator. O’Brien was a New England assistant before becoming Penn State head coach in 2012.

Rees, a former Notre Dame quarterback, has been an assistant at his alma mater since 2017 and offensive coordinator since 2020. He also spent a year with the San Diego Chargers in 2016 before returning to South Bend, Indiana, as quarterbacks coach.

The 30-year-old Rees was wooed by Brian Kelly when he left Notre Dame for LSU and by Miami last year, but decided to stay and work for first-year Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman. Notre Dame finished 9-4 last season.

Notre Dame’s offense have been solid statistically under Rees, ranking 45th (last season), 43rd (2021) and 39th (2020) nationally in yards per play.

Alabama will be breaking in a new starting quarterback next season after Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young declared for the NFL draft.

QB Sam Hartman announces transfer to Notre Dame

Associated PressJan 6, 2023, 12:31 AM EST

Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sam Hartman is transferring to Notre Dame, giving the Fighting Irish a dynamic quarterback for coach Marcus Freeman‘s second season.

Hartman, a three-year starter at Wake Forest, was widely regarded as the top quarterback in the transfer portal. He announced his decision Thursday by tweeting pictures of himself in a Notre Dame uniform.

The 23-year-old Hartman holds the Atlantic Coast Conference record for passing touchdowns with 110. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

He completed a career-best 63.1% of his passes this past season for 3,701 yards with 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, leading the Demon Deacons to an 8-5 record and a victory in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23.

In 2021, Hartman threw for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns as Wake Forest went 11-3, finished 15th in the final AP poll and lost the ACC title game to Pitt.

Hartman threw 16 TD passes for the Demon Deacons as a freshman in 2018, but was relegated to a backup role the following year, playing in four games and preserving a year of eligibility. He then got an extra year because of the pandemic.

Notre Dame went 9-4 under Freeman, who took over as coach after Brian Kelly departed for LSU. The Fighting Irish began the season ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 but lost their first two games. They moved back into the rankings with a late five-game winning streak and are currently 19th. Notre Dame concluded its season with a 45-38 victory over No. 20 South Carolina in the Gator Bowl.

BYU offensive lineman Veikoso dies in construction accident

Associated PressDec 31, 2022, 9:13 PM EST

Chris Gardner/Getty Images

HONOLULU — Brigham Young University offensive lineman Sione Veikoso was killed in a construction accident in his hometown in Hawaii, family members said.

Veikoso, 22, died Friday after a retaining wall he was helping repair during holiday break from school collapsed, his family confirmed. The Honolulu Fire Department reported that three others were injured when the 15-foot (4.5-meter) rock wall partially fell behind a home in Kailua, which is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northeast of Honolulu.

“He was a gentle giant who loved his family. He was reliable and caring,” Veikoso’s cousin Joshua Kava said in a written statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

The 6-foot-7 (2-meter), 305-pound (138-kilogram) lineman had completed his first season at BYU, where he transferred after one year at Arizona State, while retaining four years of eligibility.

Firefighters arrived at the home just before noon Friday to find the collapsed wall and bystanders using a small excavator to remove rocks trapping the men. Rescuers called them off because of the wall’s instability and manually removed rocks to free two of the men in about 15 minutes. But Veikoso was trapped deeper. He was removed at about 12:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:35 p.m.

The homeowner told authorities she was having the stone wall repaired. A total of six people were at the scene. One man escaped the rubble before firefighters arrived but refused treatment and two were uninjured.

“Rest in Love Sione. God be with you till we meet again,” BYU football said in a tweet.

After high school, Veikoso spent two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Manaus, Brazil, before enrolling in college.