Notre Dame OC rumors are already heating up.

Within hours of Tommy Rees’ reported departure on Friday afternoon, ESPN’s Heather Dinich began speculating on who the Fighting Irish could hire as his replacement.

While Marcus Freeman could choose to hire from outside the program, Dinich floated the candidacy of 1 coach already on Notre Dame’s staff: tight ends coach Gerad Parker.

Parker has offensive coordinator experience on his résumé, as he filled that role for West Virginia from 2020-21. He was also Penn State’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2019.

Parker just finished his 1st season as Notre Dame’s tight ends coach, but that position was arguably Notre Dame’s biggest strength in 2022. Michael Mayer led the team in receiving with 67 catches for 809 yards. Even with Mayer headed to the NFL, Notre Dame could still have a solid TE room in 2023 with Mitchell Evans and Eli Raridon, amongst others, set to return.

Dinich also mentioned Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as a potential target for the Irish.