Former Buccaneers’ OC Interested in College Position

Former Bucs’ OC, Byron Leftwich, is looking to get into the college game.

Last week, Notre Dame offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, was hired for the same position by the University of Alabama and join Nick Saban's staff in Tuscaloosa. With Rees' move, that has left an opening for the offensive coordinator position in South Bend and it appears that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich, is more than interested in becoming the Fighting Irish's next offensive guru.

Byron Leftwich reached out to Notre Dame about the OC position last week, per source. He and Marcus Freeman have stayed in contact as Leftwich remains a serious candidate for the job. @247Sports

— Grace Remington (@GraceRemiTV) February 6, 2023

Leftwich was hired by the Buccaneers after the 2019 season to become the team's offensive coordinator under then head coach, Bruce Arians. Arians relinquished full play-calling duties over to Leftwich following the Bucs' 2020 regular season on their way to the franchise's second-ever Super Bowl victory. 

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After taking over play-calling duties, Leftwich helped lead a high-powered Bucs' offense in 2021 and subsequently received numerous interviews to become a head coach elsewhere in the NFL; he didn't receive an offer. In 2022, the Buccaneers' offense struggled mightily and much of the blame was placed on Leftwich - ultimately resulting in him being let go following the team's defeat in the Wild Card round of the playoffs at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.

At this point, it doesn't seem as if there has been a ton of traction for Leftwich in the NFL, so reaching out to Marcus Freeman and getting into the college game would be beneficial for Leftwich moving forward with his coaching career.

For Notre Dame and head coach, Marcus Freeman, they can either hire from within their program or look elsewhere. Notre Dame's offense is replicated and imitates an NFL offense in the way they run their sets, so getting a former offensive coordinator from the NFL would make sense. Notre Dame also will be with a new quarterback this upcoming season in former Wake Forrest QB, Sam Hartman, who is a veteran at the college level. Leftwich would seemingly walk into a great situation for himself and try and revive his career as a play-caller.

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