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Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has emerged as a potential candidate to take over the offense at Notre Dame.
Leftwich, who called plays for the Buccaneers for the past four seasons, reached out last week to Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and remains a “serious candidate” for the position, according to a report by 247Sports.
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady sits with offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich during the NFC wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 16, 2023, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Notre Dame is searching for its next play-caller after Tommy Rees reportedly took the same position at Alabama last Friday.
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Leftwich was fired following the 2022 NFL season in which the Buccaneers struggled on offense, scoring just 18.4 points per game before losing in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
“We appreciate the hard work and contributions that all of these coaches made to our successes over the past four seasons,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said in a statement.
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Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich was fired following the 2022 NFL season in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggled on offense. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
“As a collective group, we did not meet the high standards that had been set for this past year and my focus now is on doing what is needed to ensure a successful 2023 season. These were very difficult decisions but something that I felt was necessary for our football team going forward.”
Leftwich was one of the hottest names following the 2021 season, interviewing for the head coaching openings with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints.
In 2020, the Bucs were third in the NFL in points per game (30.8) and won the Super Bowl in Tom Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay.
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For Notre Dame, the search for a new offensive coordinator comes as Freeman prepares to enter his second season as head coach in South Bend, Indiana.
Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees during the Blue-Gold Spring Football Game on April 23, 2022, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
His first year as head coach got off to a brutal start – going 0-2 – before Notre Dame won nine of its last 11 games to finish the year 9-4.
Under Rees, the Fighting Irish averaged 31.8 points per game and 396 yards per game in 2022.
Rees spent the past three seasons as OC of the Fighting Irish.
