Ryan Grubb expected to join Kalen DeBoer as Alabama's offensive coordinator

Kalen DeBoer is expected to hire Ryan Grubb as Alabama‘s next offensive coordinator, according to BamaOnLine’s Charlie Potter. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Chris Low.

Grubb served as OC under DeBoer at Washington for the two seasons they were there. Some believed the Huskies would end up hiring him as their next head coach after DeBoer’s departure but instead looks to be remaining with his longtime partner as they take over the football program in Tuscaloosa.

“Though I wanted to be, I will not be the next head coach at the University of Washington,” Grubb wrote in a statement posted to social media late Saturday night. “With tears in my eyes, I know my last day in Husky Stadium has come.”

When DeBoer landed in Tuscaloosa on the night he was hired, he said that he would be bringing some of his staff from Washington — and is about to make good on that promise.

But how should Crimson Tide fans gauge this hire? It’s not just a new coach bringing in his buddy from his old gig. In fact, Grubb was a leading candidate in Alabama’s open offensive coordinator job last offseason and was even interviewed by Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa before Alabama ultimately hired Tommy Rees from Notre Dame.

DeBoer and Grubb have been together across multiple stops dating back to the mid-2000s at Sioux Falls. Grubb followed DeBoer to Fresno State where they became the most potent offensive in the Mountain West Conference. Once again, he followed DeBoer to Seattle for their next stop.

In two seasons there, DeBoer and Grubb took the nation by storm by turning Michael Penix Jr. into one of the best quarterbacks in the country. In their first season in Washington during 2022, Washington led the nation in both passing offense with 369.8 yards per game as well as third-down conversions (57 percent). Washington also finished second in total offense with 515.8 yards per game.

Numbers like that were what attracted the likes of Nick Saban in an attempt to poach Grubb from Washington before the 2023 season. While Grubb didn’t get the job at the time — it’s safe to say everything worked out well for him over the next 12 months.

This past season under Grubb’s guide, Penix Jr. finished No. 2 in the Heisman Trophy race. Once they finished the regular season undefeated, won the Pac-12 Championship, and defeated Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal — it was clear DeBoer and Grubb had become a great head coach-offensive coordinator duo.

Now, the two get to continue their journey at Alabama — where they will be put under a microscope for years to come.