Kalen DeBoer addresses whether Ryan Grubb could join Alabama staff

Entering his second offseason as Alabama‘s head coach, Kalen DeBoer has plenty of questions to answer, especially as it relates to his still-evolving Crimson Tide coaching staff.

During a brief media gaggle inside Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on the first day of Senior Bowl practices Tuesday, DeBoer addressed one of the most pressing questions when asked about the potential of former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb joining his Alabama staff.

While not directly answering the question posed, DeBoer did express great appreciaton for Grubb, who was recently fired after one season as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator.

“We go way back,” DeBoer said of Grubb on Tuesday, according to the Tuscaloosa News. “Great friend of mine. I think the world of him as a football coach and obviously as a person too. I know he is working through his process just after what last season brought. Just kind of see what he does there. Here for him whenever he needs me, and that’s always going to be the case.”

Ryan Grubb’s brief experience as member of Alabama coaching staff

Grubb was briefly a member of the Alabama coaching staff after initially agreeing to follow DeBoer to Tuscaloosa as the team’s OC after Grubb was passed over for the Huskies head coaching job in favor of Jedd Fisch in mid January 2024. Of course, that was a short-lived move as Grubb left the Tide a few weeks later to join the NFL’s Seahawks as their new play-caller in early February.

Since Grubb was let go by Seattle on Jan. 6, following a less-than-encouraging 2024 season, speculation raged among Alabama fans that he’d reunite with DeBoer and take over a beleagured Crimson Tide offense from first-year play-caller Nick Sheridan.

Despite a wealth of talent, Alabama’s offense struggled in the first season under DeBoer and Sheridan, ranking outside the Top 5 in the SEC in three of the four major offensive metics. The Tide finished seventh in the league in total offense (410.2 yards per game), eight in passing offense (236.4) and sixth in rushing offense (173.85). In 2023, Grubb’s Washington offense had the nation’s second-best passing attack averaging 343.7 yards per game through the air while also ranking third in the Pac-12 in total offense (462.1) and scoring (36.0 points per game) enroute to the Huskies’ national runner-up finish.

Greg McElroy gives honest letter grade for Kalen DeBoer in first year at Alabama

Kalen DeBoer wrapped up his first season as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide before the New Year. His team finished the season 9-4 overall and just barely missed out on the College Football Playoffs.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy recently graded first-year head coaches like DeBoer, Michigan‘s Sherrone Moore, Indiana‘s Curt Cignetti, and slapped DeBoer with a B-minus after the Tide lost two of its last three games to end the 2024 season.

“There were some challenges, some adjustments, some roster tinkering that were very difficult,” McElroy said. “I think that they were remarkably inconsistent from start to finish, almost on a week to week basis. You’d watch him, you’d say, ‘Wow, that that’s the way it’s supposed to look.’ And then you’d watch and be like, ‘My goodness, what was that?’ There were levels of inconsistency that were really hard to wrap your head around.

“… It was just constantly a roller coaster, and that is something that is going to be very important for the staff to try to iron out as they continue to move forward. I do think the bowl loss was one that is more difficult to get over than I think a lot of people are probably giving it credit.”

Barkley Truax contributed to this report.