Greg McElroy reacts to Ryan Grubb's departure from Alabama

Kalen DeBoer brought part of his former staff to Tuscaloosa when he got to Alabama with the most notable being OC Ryan Grubb. However, Grubb has since spurned that decision in favor for the offensive coordinator job with the Seattle Seahawks.

With Grubb no longer set to call plays for the Crimson Tide, Greg McElroy realizes what a loss that that is. As he said on ‘Always College Football’ on Monday, his sense when it comes to the pulse regarding that rejection has been a negative one.

“While talking to a lot of folks that follow Alabama, support Alabama, this felt like a devastating blow. It did,” said McElroy.

For one, McElroy felt that way considering Grubb is a top-notch coordinator. He’s actually so well thought of around the game he’s been mentioned as a potential head coach, which, in the end, made it an even better get for ‘Bama as an assistant.

“I will admit that I thought Ryan Grubb – and I said this. Washington had done a good job under Kalen DeBoer. I thought that they might want to keep with the status quo. I thought Ryan Grubb would have been a great candidate,” McElroy said. “Now, they ultimately went with Jedd Fisch. It has all worked out, Jedd Fisch is going to do a great job there – no doubt about it. But I thought, had Ryan Grubb gotten a longer look? He would have been a really good candidate to take over for Kalen DeBoer when he departed for Alabama.”

For two, McElroy had this opinion because of how important of a role that Grubb has played under DeBoer. Getting them as a package was a massive win but the results of the duo now splitting up are now left to be determined.

“When he was not given the job at Washington, I thought Alabama was playing with house money. Hang on a second, man. You don’t just get a guy that’s 104-12 but you get his right hand man? You get Ryan Grubb, who has turned down many overtures in college football?” McElroy said. “(Grubb) has had several, several head coaching opportunities that he has just not shown interest in. He has turned down other jobs in the past, most notably turning down Alabama’s offensive coordinator last year because he felt such a loyalty to Kalen DeBoer and felt like last year, for Washington, was going to be really special. He was right and he did an amazing job.”

“I thought that, when Kalen DeBoer got the ‘Bama job? That’s great. He’s a great offensive mind. He is a guy that has called plays at a crazy high level both at Fresno (State) and at Indiana. His brainchild is the offense that Ryan Grubb has definitely evolved, definitely tweaked and has put his own fingerprints on. This is Kalen’s offense and Grubb is just one of the masterminds that allows that offense to reach its peak,” continued McElroy. “When Ryan Grubb was going to be in Tuscaloosa? I was like, ‘Oh my goodness!”. I already thought that Kalen DeBoer was a home run but now you get Ryan Grubb? A guy that could be a head coach at many other places but he has decided to stay loyal to his best friend in Kalen DeBoer? That was massive.”

With Grubb heading back to Seattle, except this time on the professional level, Alabama has to decide on a new offensive coordinator to fill the role that he left behind. The ensuing hiring process isn’t worrying McElroy, though, considering how he expects the Tide to go about it.

“Him departing was a blow – no doubt about it. I do think, though, that the Alabama coordinator job will be in good hands,” said McElroy.